Second-seeded Cox of Alpharetta, Ga., and Torrence of Canton, Ga., performed well in tennis.
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - The inaugural Fila Cup Alumni Doubles Challenge kicked off Saturday during the NASDAQ-100 Open at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park. This unique event gives past college tennis players the chance to once again represent their colleges and universities.
The finalist and championship teams will be recognized on the stadium court prior to the NASDAQ-100 Open men's singles final on Sunday. Their collegiate varsity tennis programs will receive a financial donation from Fila and the champions will also receive an endorsement agreements with Fila.
Antonio Acosta (Florida State) and Innocent Modika (Hampton) will face Bud Cox (Auburn) and Jay Torrence (Georgia College & State) in tomorrow's men's doubles final. And a women's exhibition is taking place featuring Judy Levering (Northwestern) and Donna Fales (William & Mary) against Louise Gengler (Princeton) and Emily Schaefer (Princeton). In 1999 Levering became the first woman to serve as USTA president. Fales was past president of the Greater Miami Tennis Foundation and won the 1959 USTA intercollegiate singles title. Both matches are at 9 a.m.
Acosta and Modika, both of Orlando, upset top-seeded Whitney Kraft (Florida Atlantic) and Brian Powell (Wake Forest) 7-5, 6-3 in today's semifinals. Second-seeded Cox of Alpharetta, Ga., and Torrence of Canton, Ga., beat Jay Eisenberg (Albany) and Todd Schlorf (St. John's (Minn.)) 6-2, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
Acosta and Modika work together as tennis pros at the Port Gatlin Tennis Center in Orlando. Modika was an ITA Division II All-America in 1989-90 while at Hampton. Cox, All-Southeastern Conference for Auburn in '80 and '82, coaches at the Silvia Tennis Academy in Alpharetta and is founder and president of Life Connection, a non-profit organization that provides ministry resources for children. Torrence, an ITA Division II All-America in '94 for Georgia College, works for the North American Mission Board in Alpharetta.
Players from 16 different colleges and universities were competing this weekend. All of the participants are at least 35 years old and at least one player per team has played varsity collegiate tennis.
Two rounds of men's doubles took place today.
Fila Cup Alumni Doubles Challenge
First Round:
Antonio Acosta, Florida State, and Innocent Modika, Hampton, def. Anthony Askowitz, Miami (Fla.) and Jonathan Drucker, Tulane, 6-4, 6-4
Jay Eisenberg, Albany, and Todd Schlorf, St. John's (Minn), def. Massimo Bosso, Florida Tech, and Michael Phelipa, Florida Tech, 6-7 (11), 7-6 (4), 10-8 (match tie-breaker)
Bud Cox, Auburn, and Jay Torrence, Georgia College & State (2), def. Duane Baker, Arizona State, and Sanford Monblat, Lycoming, 6-1, 6-1
Semifinals:
Acosta, Florida State, and Modika, Hampton, def. Whitney Kraft, Florida Atlantic, and Brian Powell, Wake Forest (1), 7-5, 6-3
Cox, Auburn, and Torrence, Georgia College & State, def. Eisenberg, Albany, and Schlorf, St. John's (Minn), 6-2, 6-4.