UNLV roundup: Zhu wins singles title in home tennis event

UNLV senior Aiwen Zhu downed Iowa’s Samantha Mannix 6-2, 6-2 to win the Flight One singles title in the Rebel Invitational on Sunday at Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Zhu, ranked 49th nationally in singles, teamed with junior En-Pei Huang in a 7-5 loss to Texas A&M’s Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova in the Flight One doubles final. Zhu and Huang are ranked 37th in doubles.

The Rebels were joined in the individual tournament by competitors from eight programs: Air Force, Arizona, Iowa, Liberty, North Texas, Purdue, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Junior Samantha Li won the Flight Five singles title with a 7-6, 7-5 win over Purdue’s Caitlin Calkins, and Li teamed with sophomore Izumi Asano to beat Liberty’s Maria Medina and Rebekah Anderson 6-2 in the Flight Three doubles final.

Freshman Alex Kalachova won the Flight Six consolation title with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Air Force’s Amanda Reinhart.

Three UNLV players lost singles finals: Senior Anna Bogoslavets lost 6-1, 1-6, 6-0 to Goldsmith in Flight Two, Asano lost 6-1, 6-2 to Texas A&M’s Katya Townsend in Flight Three, and Huang lost 6-3, 6-2 to Texas A&M’s Riley McQuaid in Flight Four.

DIVING

At Los Angeles, sophomore Jesse Cawley won the platform title with 662.60 points and placed second on the 3-meter board with 681.50 points Friday and Saturday in the USC Invite.

Freshman Tazman Abramowicz placed fourth in platform (569.10) and fourth on the 3-meter (599.85) in a meet that included competitors from Azusa Pacific, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Fresno State, San Jose State and UCLA, along with host Southern California.