TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of South Alabama junior Tuki Jacobs (Windhoek, Namibia) won in the semifinals of the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Men's Tennis Championships, but fell in the finals Sunday afternoon.

Jacobs started the day with a straight-sets win over Sebastian Rey of Tulane but lost to Auburn's Max Hinnisdaels in the final.

"It was another great day for Tuki, but we needed a few more games to make it a perfect day," said USA head coach Nick Brochu. "He played two excellent players but ended up losing a close one in the final.

"Losing in the final is hard to swallow, but I told Tuki to be proud of his weekend's achievements. He worked hard this semester and it's paying off. We have two more tournaments where he can gather more ranked wins. I'm so proud of him and his development over the past two years."

In the semifinals, Jacobs dropped just five games in defeating Rey 6-3, 6-2.

"He was on fire this morning, hitting his forehand with great confidence," Brochu said of Jacobs. "He had more forehand winners in that match than any other matches he played before. His transitions were flawless and he put the ball away every time. It's great to see how much he improved after having lost badly to the same Tulane opponent two years ago."

Despite a close second set, Jacobs was unable to overcome Hinnisdaels, losing 6-3, 7-5.

"In the final, the wind picked up and Tuki struggled a little with his forehand. His opponent played flawlessly the entire match. I think he made less than five unforced errors in the entire match. He hit the ball harder than anybody in the tournament and Tuki found himself off balance on many balls. Tuki kept fighting so hard and finally broke his opponent for the first time at 4-4 in the second set. Tuki made a few bad shot selections and couldn't convert on the set point he had.

"Looking at the previous matches, we knew that Tuki would have a good chance to win the match if he could take it to the third set. He was one point away from doing that."

Next up for the Jaguars is the USTA Clay Court Invitational Nov. 5-8 in Orlando, Fla.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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