Beleleu Claims Singles Title

Oct. 25, 2010

NORMAN, Okla. – Ionut Beleleu narrowly defeated fellow Sooner Costin Paval in the singles main draw finals at the USTA/ITA Central Region Championships, Monday, held at the Gregg Wadley Pavilion.

Having two Sooners in the finals of Central Region Championships was a first for the Oklahoma program. Former Sooner Andrei Daescu was the last Sooner to win the Central Region Championship back in 2007.

“It's fun to watch a final when you know that your team is going to win no matter what,” OU head coach John Roddick said. “They played a great match. Costin did a great job in a losing effort and Johnny (Ionut Beleleu) really played great the whole tournament.”

In the finals Beleleu, the tournament's top seed, took the first set 7-5. In the second set the senior from Romania was unstoppable as he won the set 6-3.

“I'm really looking at the quality of tennis that our guys played and from Costin beating (Marcelo) Arevelo and then beating Jackson back-to-back, were two guys playing as well as anyone in the tournament,” Roddick said. “Then Johnny just went through the draw pretty easily, until Costin, who probably pushed him as much as anybody. I couldn't be happier that our two guys were the guys playing the best.”

With the finals victory Beleleu earned a spot in the 2010 USTA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships, taking place Nov. 4-7, at the new indoor facilities at the USTA-Billie Jean National Tennis Center, located in Flushing, New York. Columbia University will serve as the tournament host.

“It's a really difficult tournament to get into,” Roddick said. “There are going to be a lot of guys that are capable of being in that tournament that aren't there. It's just a really hard tournament to get into. You really have to earn your spot in that tournament. You don't get a lot of credit for past performances. It's all literally what you have done in the last three or four weeks. For Johnny that is really exciting and you have to be really proud of yourself for getting into that tournament. Of all the tournaments you get it in, that is probably the one you have to earn the most. You're going to play the best players in the country and it gives you a chance to solidify your singles ranking for the rest of the year.”

Aside from Beleleu, the rest of the Sooners will head to Austin, Texas, to compete in the Texas Invitational, Nov. 5-7.

PDF | Main Draw Singles | Doubles

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