Men's Tennis July Update: Salazar Captures USTA Summer Smash Title

July 31, 2017 | Men's Tennis

Rising senior Santiago Salazar upsets three seeded players in title run

University of Louisville men's tennis player Santiago Salazar is priming for his upcoming senior season this summer after recently capturing open singles title at the United States Tennis Association Summer Smash in Orlando, Fla.

The rising senior from Medellin, Colombia, put together six wins in the tournament, upsetting three seeded players in the tournament en route to the championship. He defeated Edward Perez and Carl Solik in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals where he outlasted fourth-seeded Jourdan Kast 7-5, 2-6, 15-13 and proceeded to beat top-seeded Matere Alban 6-2, 6-2. Salazar capped his run by beating third-seeded Joseph Correa in the finals.

"Santiago spent the first part of the summer doing some academic work in China," said UofL head coach Rex Ecarma. "Now he is back on the court and won his first tournament. Any tournament in Florida, especially southern Florida is tough to win."