Sayda Hernandez triumphs twice at Palmetto Championships tennis

Hilton Head Island’s Sayda Hernandez swept both singles and doubles crowns in the Girls 14s division of the Palmetto Championships, capping her weekend with a three-set triumph in Tuesday’s singles final at Belton Tennis Center.

Hernandez, seeded fourth, took down each of the top two seeds Tuesday, as the schedule finally reached its conclusion after the weekend’s storms wiped out all play Sunday.

The incoming freshman began her day by upending top-seeded Allie Gretkowski (Mount Pleasant) in in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-2. Hours later, Hernandez celebrated a 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 triumph over No.2 Robin Alston (Rock Hill).

Hernandez did not drop a set all weekend until the second set of the final. Tuesday marked the second straight day that she had beaten both Gretkowski and Alston, as they made up the doubles tandem that fell to Hernandez and Simpsonville’s Samantha Johns in Monday’s final, 9-7.

All doubles matches were shortened to one set in the aftermath of Sunday’s washout.

Hilton Head Island’s Grant Durham and Conrad Alford came one step short of capturing the doubles title in the Boys 14s, going to the wire in the final before James Qu (Greer) and Stanley Waters (Mount Pleasant) captured the final two points in a 9-7 triumph.

The Hilton Head Island duo of Anna Letto and Nicole Sister also reached the final of the Girls 16s doubles, falling to top seeds Katherine Lyman (Mount Pleasant) and Lauren Quinn (Charleston) in an 8-3 final.

Three doubles teams reached the semifinals of their brackets: Hilton Head Island’s Molly Sanderson and Tyler Kirk (Mount Pleasant) in the Girls 18s, Bluffton’s Brooke Wrigley and Keira Stewart (Simpsonville) in the Girls 12s and Bluffton’s Robert Hagen and William Baly (Goose Creek) in the Boys 12s.

Durham and Wrigley also were among five area players to reach the quarterfinals in their singles brackets, joined by Bluffton’s Michael Sanford (Boys 16s), Beaufort’s McKenzie Daniel (Girls 14s) and Bluffton’s Olivia Beseker (Girls 10s).

This story was originally published May 31, 2016 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Sayda Hernandez triumphs twice at Palmetto Championships tennis."