Gonzalez was the big winner at the Benton Summer Classic tennis tournament held over the weekend at Benton Community Park.

Gonzalez beat Cape Girardeau’s William Bradley 6-0, 6-0 to win the Men’s Open Singles title and also partnered with Marion’s Carrie Watson to win the Mixed Open Doubles title and with Marion’s Bruce Myers to win the Men’s Open Doubles championship.

Gonzales, Flatt and Marion’s Karl Metzger picked up first round byes in men’s singles. Gonzalez beat Benton’s Tyler Kerley, 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. Kerley had outlasted Watseka’s George Smith (6-3, 5-7, 7-5) in opening round play.

Gonzalez got to the finals with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Benton’s Tim Flatt. Flatt beat Mt. Vernon’s Peter Walker 6-2, 6-1 to get to the semis. Walker topped Cape Girardeau’s Scott Hubbard 6-4, 6-0 in the first round.

In the bottom bracket, Benton’s Alex Prusacyk knocked off Carbondale’s George Skalsky 6-7 (5-7), 6-2, 6-0, then advanced to the semifinals after Metzger was injured. Bradley beat Marion’s Joseph Pearce 6-4, 6-3 in the first round then faced Rob Lowry, who had beaten Du Quoin’s Tim McKinney 6-2, 6-1, in the quarters, Bradley winning 4-6, 7-5, 10-7.

Bradley then knocked off Prusaczyk 6-3, 7-5 to advance to the finals. Gonzalez then dominated play in the finals.

Only four women played in the Women’s Open Singles division. C. Watson knocked off Benton’s Chelsea Flatt 6-1, 6-4 and Macedonia’s Sara Brose fell to Benton’s Sherry Metzger 6-0, 6-0.
Metzger won the title 6-0, 6-2 over Watson.

In Men’s Open Doubles, Flatt and Metzger topped Jim Bayless and Bill Caraway (6-2, 6-3), Josh Cozart and Prusaczyk beat Walker and Tyler Knox (2-6, 6-4, 10-5), Bradley and Hubbard edged Skalsky and Smith (3-6, 6-1, 10-7) and Gonzalez and Myers beat Jason Hampton and Pearce 6-4, 6-2.

In the quarters, Flatt and Metzger defeated Cozart and Prusaczyk 6-1, 6-2, and Gonzalez and Myers got by Bradley and Hubbard 6-2, 6-0.

Gonzalex and Myers then won the title 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

In Open Women’s Doubles, only four teams participated, with S. Metzger and Anita Diefenbach topping Brose and Paige Hutchcraft 6-2, 6-3 in one semifinal and Diane Metzger and Diana Winson blanking Flatt and Watson 6-0, 6-0 in the second semi.

Metzger and Winson won the title 7-5, 6-1.

In Mixed Open Doubles, Watson and Gonzalez beat S. Metzger and McKinney 6-3, 6-0 and father/daughter team Tim and Chelsea Flatt knocked off coach/player combo Diefenbach and Prusaczyk 6-3, 7-6.

Gonzalez and Watson won the title 6-1, 7-6.