Oct. 4, 2010
Tulsa, Okla. – Eliot Potvin and Juan Spir both won three-set matches Monday in the first round of the qualifying draw at the D’Novo/ITA All-American Tennis Championships, while three Yellow Jackets doubles teams are set to begin qualifying competition Tuesday.
Potvin, a senior from Hampden, Maine, needed a third-set tiebreaker to get by Alexander Paleaz of Illinois State, gaining a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6) victory to advance to a second-round match Tuesday against Matteo Fago of Tennessee.
Spir, a sophomore from Medellin, Colombia, outlasted Hichan Laalej of Pennsylvania, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3, and moved on to face San Diego’s Nikola Bubnic on Tuesday.
Potvin and Spir must win two more matches to get into the main draw of the championship, which begins Thursday. Tech All-American Guillermo Gomez is exempt into the main draw. Sophomore Kevin King and junior Dusan Miljevic lost their first-round matches Monday and will play on in the consolation draw Tuesday.
Meanwhile, three Yellow Jackets doubles teams will begin play in the qualifying draw Tuesday. King and Spir, the nation’s 60th-ranked team, made the finals of the Southern Intercollegiate Championship in Athens, Ga., a week ago, while Potvin and Ryan Smith are ranked 43rd nationally. Gomez and Dean O’Brien also are entered in the qualification draw.
D’NOVO/ITA ALL-AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tulsa, Okla.
Qualifying Singles
First Round – Monday
Eliot Potvin d. Alexander Paleaz, Illinois State, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (6)
Chris Mengel, Duke, d. Kevin King, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Juan Spir d. Hichan Laalej, Pennsylvania, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3
Tobias Fanselow, Old Dominion, d. Dusan Miljevic, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
Second Round – Tuesday
Eliot Potvin vs. Matteo Fago, Tennessee
Juan Spir vs. Nikola Bubnic, San Diego
Qualifying Consolation Singles – Tuesday
Kevin King vs. Philippe Oudshoorn, Virginia
Dusan Miljevic vs. Jonathan Dahan, California
Qualifying Doubles
First Round – Tuesday
Kevin King/Juan Spir vs. Sanam Singh/Steven Rooda, Virginia
Guillermo Gomez/Dean O’Brien vs. Steven Henderson/Chris Kearney, UC Irvine
Eliot Potvin/Ryan Smith vs. Austen Childs/Viktor Maksimcuk, Louisville
