Oct. 7, 2008

TULSA, Okla. - There was good news and bad news for men's tennis players Patrik Fischer and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan today at the D'Novo ITA All-American Championships. Both players lost their qualifying singles matches, but as a doubles team they won twice to move within a match of reaching the coveted main draw.

After being knocked out of the singles draw, Fischer and Nedunchezhiyan regrouped and outlasted the team of Anton Lenenko and Eric West of Southern Illinois in a tiebreak, which they clinched, 8-6. The momentum from that win helped push the Husky duo to an easy 8-2 victory over James Seagraves and Albert Jou, two Tulsa players competing on their home courts.

With a win on Wednesday, Fischer and Nedunchezhiyan will reach the 32-team main draw of the year's first major. But to get there they will have to upset the top-seeded team in the draw: Pepperdine's Omar Altmann and Bassam Beidas. The match is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT.

The Huskies struggled in their earlier singles matches. Fischer fell, 6-2, 6-2, to Texas Tech's Raony Carvalho. Nedunchezhiyan couldn't get on track either against Illinois' Roy Kalmanovich, falling, 6-1, 6-4.

Washington Men's Tennis
D'Novo/ITA All-American Championships
10/7/08 - University of Tulsa
Michael D. Case Tennis Center

Qualifying Singles - Second Round
Raony Carvalho (Texas Tech) def. (9) Patrik Fischer (UW), 6-2, 6-2
Roy Kalmanovich (Illinois) def. (24) Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (UW), 6-1, 6-4

Qualifying Doubles - First Round
Fischer/Nedunchezhiyan (UW) def. Lenenko/West (S. Ill.), 9-8 (6)

Qualifying Doubles - Second Round
Fischer/Neduchezhiyan (UW) def. Seagraves/Jou (Tulsa), 8-2