Xavier University of Louisiana’s Santiago Perez and Shaikh Abdullah won 6-2, 6-3 against Sam Marin and Joseph Short of city rival Loyola to win the men’s doubles final of the ITA NAIA Gulf Regional Championships.
        Perez and Abdullah won three doubles matches Saturday, and both advanced to the singles title match. In the singles semifinals, top-seeded Perez defeated fourth-seeded Marin 6-2, 6-2, and second-seeded Abdullah beat Blue Mountain’s Philippe Labbe 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-5).
        Perez and Abdullah lived up to their ranking as one of the NAIA’s best doubles teams. They were fourth in the final ITA rankings this past season and third in 2018-19.
        “We were tired, but we played really solid from the beginning in the doubles final,” Abdullah said. “We knew we could not afford to stay on the court long because of all the energy we spent today, so we focused on being efficient. We played tough and stayed tough.”
        Abdullah added, “Santi is a great doubles partner. We both love doubles, and we clicked the first time we teamed up.”
        Saturday matches were played indoors at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside because of rain. XULA Tennis Center was the original tournament site. The Perez-Abdullah singles final will start at 4 p.m. CDT Sunday at the Hilton.