WBOC-TV 16, Delmarvas News Leader, FOX 21 - Jenkins Wins Purnell Thomas Tennis Tournament

SALISBURY, Md. – It is said that to be the best, one must beat the best. At the 2011 Purnell-Thomas Memorial Tennis Tournament, sixth-seeded Jarmere Jenkins proved that he was the best of the week, defeating three of the top four seeds including second-seeded Ruben Bemelmans 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the singles championship match on Sunday afternoon at the Salisbury University Tennis Courts.

Jenkins, a rising junior at the University of Virginia, defeated three players ranked in the top 200 in the world over the past four days to become the first amateur to win the event since 1986.

"Can't complain with making history," Jenkins said following the win. "That's definitely a pleasure to do that, in a tournament like this, where we always get a lot of UVA players to come down. So it means a lot to me."

Jenkins earned a break of Bemelmans' first serve, and rode that to the 6-3 win in the first set, running down numerous balls in the every corner of the court, a theme that would carry throughout the match.

Bemelmans was able to settle in and come back for the second set, but Jenkins owned the final games on his way to the title.

"Jarmere was playing really well," Bemelmans said following the match. "He had an amazing week, he's playing so well. He was a really tough opponent. … I gave everything I've got and I think the best player won today."

Jenkins again earned the key break during the first service game of Bemelmans, the 147^th-ranked player in the world, in the third set, despite being down 30-0 to begin the game. An unforced error by Bemelmans and a double fault allowed Jenkins back in the game, and he forced deuce by running down a ball deep in the corner to keep the point alive, finishing the point with a soft drop shot on the run.

"My coach always tells me, just keep running to every ball and as the match goes on it starts to wear and tear on the other guy," Jenkins said. "I came out well today, worked well and I just tried to go for every ball and eventually the other guy will start to make little mistakes."

Another break allowed Jenkins to take a commanding lead, eventually up 5-0 in the third set, and protected his own service game for the 6-1 third set victory and the championship.

The doubles final saw another upset as the fourth-seeded team of Kellen Damico, a recent graduate of the University of Texas, and Nathaniel Schnugg avoided a match tie-breaker by winning the final six games of the match to win 7-6 (3), 7-5 over the second-seeded team of Roman Borvanov and Jesse Witten.

The first set remained on serve until the midway point. Through a close game, Damico and Schnugg were able to break Witten's serve to take a slight edge. But Borvanov and Witten broke back to even things, which would eventually send the first set to a tie-breaker. After Witten's big serve which forced Damico's return long, evening the tie-breaker at 2-2, Damico and Schnugg won five of the next six points to take the first set.

It appeared the second set would go the other way as Borvanov and Witten broke serve twice in the opening six games of the second set to take a 5-1 lead. The pair got the next game to deuce, nearly earning the break to win the set, but Schnugg was able to hold, starting his team's run toward the title.

Damico and Schnugg took advantage of four double faults in the final three service games by their opponents, including the final one on match point to claim the title.