Jenkins Wins Purnell-Thomas Tennis Tournament

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SALISBURY, Md. — Virginia junior tennis player Jarmere Jenkins (College Park, Ga.) won the singles championship of the Purnell-Thomas Memorial Tournament. Jenkins becomes the first amateur champion since 1986 at the annual charity event that features many top pros along with college players

Jenkins, the tournament’s No. 6 seed, won the championship by defeating second-seeded Ruben Bemelmans of Belgium, the world No. 147, in the final, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. It was the third ATP top 200 player he defeated in as many days in the tournament.

On Saturday, he scored a 7-5, 6-0 semifinal win over top-seeded Grega Zemlja of Slovakia, the No. 122 ranked player in the world. On Friday, he posted a 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 upset of world No. 169 Yuichi Sugita in the quarterfinals.