Blake Strode Wins in Opening Round of NCAA Singles

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas sophomore Blake Strode found his first postseason win of 2007 at the NCAA Singles Championship on Wednesday.

Strode, now with a record of 27-10 on the season, defeated Andreas Weber of Hawaii, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) on the opening day of play in the NCAA Singles Championship.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Blake,” head coach Robert Cox said. “It was a tough match in touch conditions. The match was three hours and 15 minutes long. He’s starting to play more aggressively in tight situations and he was the more aggressive player today. It paid off for him.”

Strode’s win advances him to the round of 32 where he will face the winner of No. 4 Kevin Anderson of Illinois’ and Dejan Cvetkovic of Southern Cal’s match which is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Strode and Mascall will take on No. 6 Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrom of Middle Tennessee, Thurs., May 24, to start doubles play. This time is yet to be determined. Born and Siljestrom posted a doubles record of 34-6 this season.

Currently ranked No. 36 in the FILA/ITA poll, Mascall and Strode played at No. 1 doubles throughout the season. The duo posted records of 19-9 overall, 15-8 in dual matches and 6-6 in the SEC.

The NCAA Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships are taking place in Athens, Ga., on the campus of the University of Georgia. The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

For a complete listing of teams and individuals accepted into the NCAA Tennis Championships, visit www.ncaasports.com or www.georgiadogs.com.