Sierra forced to retire in ITA Midwest Regional

Sept. 29, 2001

Top-seeded Fernando Sierra was forced to retire after suffering from cramps in his quarterfinal singles match of the ITA Small College Midwest Regional Championship at Kossover.

Sierra, the reigning MIAA No. 1singles champion for Washburn, dropped Ouachita Baptist's Andre Edwall 6-4, 6-4, in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Sierra split sets with Central Oklahoma's Henry So, before severe leg cramps forced him to retire with the third set at 4 all.

The ailment also forced Sierra and doubles parter Rafael Valdez to default their quarterfinal match with Raul Bermudez and Gilles Lagardere of Ouachita Baptist.

Southwest Baptis's Mark Eori, the No. 2 singles seed, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Javier Llanes of Drury. Llanes and Tony Kiruki will face fellow Drury teammates Mehdi Belbacha and Hichim Fathi in the doubles final.

The tournament continues with the singles semifinals at 9 a.m. Finals in singles and doubles play will begin shorty after.