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TULSA, Okla.; October 4, 2007 - Senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) dropped his first round match in the main draw, but scored a big three-set victory over 27th-ranked Elliot Wronski of UNLV in the first round of the consolation draw to remain alive at ITA Polo Ralph Lauren All American Tennis Championships in Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday.
James became the first member of the Penn State tennis program to compete in the 64-player main singles draw at the prestigious tournament since Mark Barry in 2005.
In the first round of the main draw, James, who is ranked a career-high 35th in the ITA national rankings, took on fourth-seeded Travis Helgeson from Georgia. Helgeson, who is ranked No. 4 in the nation, snagged a close first set by a score of 6-4. In the second, the Bulldog standout took control early in the set. Using the early momentum to his advantage, Helgeson ousted James by a score of 6-1, sending the Nittany Lion senior to the consolation draw.
James went on to face UNLV's Wronski in the first round of the consolation draw. Wronski, who is ranked 27th in the ITA national singles rankings, snagged the first set by a 6-3 margin. However, James came out firing in the second. The Nittany Lion senior dominated the second, winning 6-2, which sent the match to a decisive third set. In the third, James maintained his stellar play on his way to 6-1 victory over talented Wronski. With the win, James improves to 7-2 this fall. James' victory sends him into the Round of 16 in the consolation draw, where he will take on Florida State's Sam Chang at 9 a.m. in Tulsa on Friday. Chang qualified for the main draw on Wednesday after scoring three victories in preliminary play.
James then capped off a grueling three-match day by pairing with junior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) in the main doubles draw. James and Slagter, who began the fall season ranked 36th nationally by the ITA, took on the Georgia team of Travis Helgeson and Nate Schnugg. Helgeson and Schnugg, who are ranked 17th in the nation, managed to score a convincing 8-4 victory over James and Slagter in the doubles draw. With the loss, James and Slagter will take on Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala from Texas, who are ranked fourth in the nation, in the consolation doubles draw at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Action will continue on Friday, with the Round of 16 in the consolation singles draw, as well as consolation doubles play. For more information, log on to www.itatennis.com.