Sooners Suffer Two Defeats

TULSA, Okla. – The Oklahoma men's tennis team suffered two defeats Thursday at the ITA All-American Championships at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Senior Alex Ghilea was the lone Sooner featured in the main draw of singles play, which began Thursday morning, as he faced off against Yuya Ito of Texas.

Ghilea dropped the first set to Ito, 2-6, but rebounded with a strong second set. After falling behind 2-5 in set two, Ghilea bounced back and evened it up at 5-5. Ito, though, would hold off the Neamt, Romania, native to win the set and match, 6-2, 7-6 (5).

Ito has been ranked as high as No. 62 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and No. 882 in the ATP World Rankings. The loss dropped Ghilea's fall season singles record to 3-2.

Ghilea was also in action with teammate Spencer Papa in doubles play against Jack Findel-Hawkins and Lasse Muscheites of North Florida. Both Findel-Hawkins and Muscheites earned All-Atlantic Sun First Team honors last year, and Findel-Hawkins was the 2016 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year.

Oklahoma's pair took care of business in the first set, topping the Ospreys' duo, 6-3. The back-and-forth second set led to a 7-6 (5) victory for Findel-Hawkins and Muscheites. North Florida's pair continued their success in the third-set tiebreaker to 10 points, defeating Ghilea and Papa 1-0 (10-3).

The tournament is not over yet for Ghilea and Papa, though, as the first round of consolation singles and doubles play will begin for the two on Friday. Winners of the consolation bracket still earn automatic bids to the 2016 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, held from Nov. 3-6 in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Players Mentioned

Alex Ghilea

Spencer Papa

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics