Nov. 1, 2007
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Nittany Lion senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) advanced to the round of 16 at the prestigious ITA Intercollegiate National Indoor Tennis Championships with a three-set victory over No. 78 Denes Lukacs of Baylor (3-6, 6-4, 6-4) on Thursday at the Racquet Club of Columbus. With the win, James became the first player in program history to notch a main draw victory at the ITA National Indoor Championships.
James, who is ranked 35th in the latest ITA national singles rankings, fell behind early against 78th-ranked Lukacs after the Baylor standout took the first set by a score of 6-3. However, the Nittany Lion senior came right back in the second. After jumping out to a 4-1 lead, James held off a Lukacs run to knot the match at one set apiece. That proved to be the fuel James needed, as he clawed his way past Lukacs in the decisive third by a score of 6-4 to move into the round of 16 in the main draw. The Lion senior, who became the first Penn State player to compete at the National Indoor Championships since Mark Barry in 2005, improves to 15-3 this fall with the win.
"This was a great win for Michael over a very tough and talented player from Baylor," said head coach Todd Doebler. "For Michael to beat the South Central region champion, who didn't lose a set in the regional tournament, is another great step for his senior year."
Lukacs, who qualified into the ITA National Indoor Championships by winning the ITA South Central Championship, falls to 16-3.
James moves on to face off with No. 1-ranked Somdev Devvarman of Virginia in Friday's round of 16. Defending NCAA Singles Champion, Devvarman holds a 9-1 fall record after knocking off Andrei Daescu of Oklahoma in the first round, 6-3, 6-1, on Thursday. His lone loss came in the semifinals of the Polo/Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championships in a three-set match against fourth-ranked Travis Helgeson. The round of 16 match is fourth on the schedule of play slated for Friday in Columbus.
"Tomorrow's match against the defending NCAA champion is an opportunity for Michael to go out and play with nothing to lose," Doebler said.
Action at the ITA National Indoor Championships will continue on Friday with the main draw round of 16 and quarterfinals on tap. The semifinals will take place on Saturday, with the final on Sunday.
For more information and updated scoring on the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, log on to www.itatennis.com.
ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships Results
Singles Main Draw: Round of 32
No. 35 Michael James (PSU) def. No. 78 Denes Lukacs (BAYLOR), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4