Alvarez Secures OU's First No. 1 Ranking

NORMAN -- In a season of firsts for the top-ranked Oklahoma men's tennis team, junior Axel Alvarez added another Tuesday by becoming the first Sooner ever to be ranked as the No. 1 singles player in the country by the ITA.

“Axel earned his number one ranking,” head coach John Roddick said. “He has been really focused since January and his record in singles reflects that. We are proud as a program as well to have our first singles number one. It is a testament to having great players and to our development process. Axel does a tremendous job every time he steps on the court whether it's in practice or a match.”

Alvarez has earned the top spot with incredible play this season. The Asturias, Spain native is an undefeated 19-0 in dual play this season with 17 of his wins coming in straight sets and 13 coming against ranked opponents.

Axel earned his number one ranking. He does a tremendous job every time he steps on the court whether it's in practice or a match.
Head Coach John Roddick

The nation's new No. 1 player has spent the entirety of the season ranked in the top-10 and had been ranked No. 2 in the past two polls heading into last weekend's matches. In the Sooners' No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with Baylor, Alvarez had his own showdown with then No. 1 Julian Lenz. Lenz took the first set in a tiebreak but Alvarez rallied to take the next two sets and helped propel OU to its third win of the year over the second-ranked Bears.

Alvarez's production on the court this year has been critical to the Sooners' incredible run. Oklahoma is 21-2 this season having won the 2015 ITA National Indoor Championship, snapped Ohio State's 200-match home winning streak, claimed the title at the Oracle Classic and racked up 14 wins over teams currently ranked in the top-25 and seven top-10 wins.

Oklahoma's impressive resume has the Sooners sitting atop the ITA team rankings as well. OU occupies the top spot for the seventh consecutive week and the eighth time this season. The Sooners' current streak is the only time in program history the team has been No. 1 in consecutive weeks. The team also occupied the top spot for a single week in 2014 after topping Ohio State at home.

The Sooners are back in action this weekend as they host No. 29 Oklahoma State Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Headington Family Tennis Center. As always, admission is free.

For more information on Oklahoma Men's Tennis, follow the team on Twitter at @OU_MTennis.