Florida’s Sekou Bangoura, appearing in his second ITF World Tennis Tour final in as many weeks, fell Monday in the rain-delayed final of the $25,000 Palm Coast Tennis Center Futures Tournament in Palm Coast, Fla. The No. 3-seeded Brandenton resident lost 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-4 to unseeded Nicolas Alvarez of Peru.
The former University of Florida standout dropped to 1-1 in ITF World Tennis Tour finals this year and 8-6 career. Last week the 27-year-old Bangoura won the $15,000 Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy event in Naples, Fla.
Rain and cold temperatures plagued the tournament during the week, delaying the final until Monday, following the semifinals where Bangoura came from a set down to beat Israel’s Or Ram-Harel 6-7(2), 6-1, 7-5, and Alvarez handled Italy’s Alessandro Petrone 6-1, 6-4.
The 22-year-old Alvarez cruised through the field to the final, not dropping a set and handing each opponent one 6-1 set loss. The Peruvian Davis Cup team member improved to 2-1 in career ITF finals after winning his first in August of 2018 in Decatur, Ill. Alvarez, who last fall decided to forgo his final year of eligibility at Duke University, entered the Palm Coast event at a career-high No. 494 on the ATP World Tour rankings, and will climb even higher when the next rankings are released on Monday, Feb. 4.
The doubles final was won by No. 2 seeds Alejandro Gomez of Colombia and American Junior Ore, who in the final defeated the unseeded team of Alvarez and Luis Patino of Mexico 7-6(2), 6-3.
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ITF World Tennis Tour events in the U.S. are part of the USTA Pro Circuit. With more than 90 tournaments hosted annually throughout the country and prize money ranging from $15,000-$125,000, the USTA Pro Circuit is the pathway to the US Open and tour-level competition for aspiring tennis players and a frequent battleground for established professionals. Andy Murray, Maria Sharapova, John Isner, Sloane Stephens, Kei Nishikori, Victoria Azarenka, and Sam Querrey and are among today’s top stars who began their careers on the USTA Pro Circuit.
For more info go to www.procircuit.usta.com.
