Mathew Berry picked up the singles title for the men and Hana McKinney came out on top in the women’s division in the Santa Barbara Open Tennis Tournament on Sunday at Knowlwood Tennis Club.
Berry, a Santa Barbara local, faced off against Garrett Patton in the championship matchup and fell behind early.
Patton, a native of Boise, Idaho who coached the Santa Barbara High boys tennis team this past spring, came out hot and took the first set, 6-3.
Berry, however, fought back.
“At the start of the match I was playing very tight,” Berry said. “When I got to a point where I was down, it relaxed me and allowed me to play a little bit more free.”
The relaxed style proved to be the difference, as Berry came back and won a tight set two, 7-6, to set up a 10-point tiebreaker. Berry clinched the championship by outlasting Patton, 10-8.
“[Patton] was moving forward well, I just was able to hang in there long enough to make it back,” Berry said.
“I don’t play as many tournaments as I used to, but it’s always great here,” Berry said. “The guys do a great job putting on this tournament and I love to play in my hometown tournaments.”
On the women’s side of the tournament, the championship matchup was handled in two sets by McKinney, who took down Christen Bartlet, 6-2, 6-3.
McKinney, a Camarillo High alum and current tennis player at Division-I Monmouth University, was playing in her second Santa Barbara Open, as she competed in 2021.
“[Playing in Santa Barbara] was great, I always love coming up to Santa Barbara because of its beautiful weather,” McKinney said.
Although the scoreboard leaned heavily in McKinney’s favor, the match was tight and there was no shortage of long rallies and back-and-forth sets throughout.
“The main thing for me is keeping a calm mentality,” McKinney said about her approach. “I really try to stay focused, not get angry and stay calm and consistent.”
With the Santa Barbara Open having come to a close, Semana Nautica will continue with its final set of events this week, concluding with the six-mile ocean swim on Sunday, July 9.