Sooners Continue Dominance At Regionals

STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma men's tennis team racked up four more wins in main draw play Saturday at the 2016 ITA Regional Championships Presented by Oracle in Stillwater, Okla. All four victories came Bedlam-style against Oklahoma State foes.

Saturday featured round of 16 singles play and quarterfinals doubles play at the Central Region Championships.

Senior Alex Ghilea was the first Sooner in action, as he matched up with OSU's Tristan Meraut. Ghilea, the 40^th-ranked singles player in ITA/Oracle's preseason rankings, made quick work of Meraut with a 6-3, 6-1, win. Ghilea has now dropped just nine games in his six sets played in Stillwater.

Junior Spencer Papa quickly followed his teammate's lead, defeating Lukas Finzelberg of the Cowboys, 6-3, 6-4.

Oklahoma's dominance in singles was capped off with a massive win from senior Florin Bragusi. The Neamt, Romania, native, had a showdown with the Cowboys' three-time All-American, Arjun Kadhe, for a trip to the quarterfinals.

Kadhe took the first set on his home court, 6-2, but for the second time at the tournament, Bragusi charged back to win the match in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2.

The Sooners were not done, as Ghilea and Papa still had unfinished work in doubles quarterfinals play. Oklahoma State's Lucas Gerch and Jurence Mendoza were no match for Oklahoma's talented tandem, with Ghilea and Papa earning a trip to the semifinals following their 8-3 victory.

Singles quarterfinals and semifinals play is slated for Sunday, along with semifinals action in doubles. With a trip to the finals on the line in doubles, Ghilea and Papa will have a meeting with another in-state opponent, Tulsa's Francois Kellerman and Okkie Kellerman.

In singles, Bragusi has a meeting with Jose Salazar of Arkansas. A former Sooner and teammate of Bragusi's, Salazar is the 45^th-ranked singles player in the nation by the ITA this fall. Ghilea will square off against Minnesota's Julian Spec, a two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection.

Papa is once again scheduled to face off against an Oklahoma State Cowboy, Julian Cash. The nation's 29^th-ranked singles player, Cash is coming off a 2015-16 campaign where he was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

All matches will be live streamed on okstate.com/watchtennis. For more information, follow @OU_MTennis on twitter.