Ghilea Advances to Round of 32

NORMAN – University of Oklahoma men's tennis senior and team captain Alex Ghilea carried the torch for the Sooners on the first day of individual competition at the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships on Wednesday. Ghilea won his first-round matchup with 18^th-ranked Constantin Schmitz of Tulane to advance to the round of 32 in the 64-player draw.

“Alex beat a great opponent today,” Oklahoma head coach Nick Crowell said. “Right from the beginning he established what he wanted to do and from that point he got a lot of confidence and momentum. He played great defense when he needed to, but was able to stay on offense for most of the match. He has been working really hard on his backhand and his returns and today that really payed off.”

"Right from the beginning he established what he wanted to do and from that point he got a lot of confidence and momentum."
- Head Coach Nick Crowell

Ghilea, who is competing for the first time in the event, was dominant in the first set, sweeping all six games.

That momentum rolled right into set two as Ghilea won the first three games, including one break, before play was halted due to lightning. After a brief delay, Ghilea came storming out to break Schmitz twice more to win a clean sweep of the second and take the match, 6-0, 6-0.

“There was also a delay which made the match tricky,” Crowell said. “When you have the momentum and there's rain you have to stay focused. He won a couple big points and hit a great defensive lob for a winner and that was a big difference in the match.”

By virtue of his win, Ghilea will take on No. 36 Harrison Scott of Texas on Thursday in the round of 32. The winner of that match will automatically earn All-America status, as all players reaching the sweet 16 in singles earn the designation.

Junior Spencer Papa was in action Wednesday as well. The Edmond, Okla., native dropped his first-round matchup vs. No. 23 Gustav Hansson of Ole Miss, 6-4, 6-2.

“Spencer had a great season,” Crowell said. “Today it didn't go his way, but he was working hard out there and trying make things happen. You have to give credit to Hansson for making a lot of balls and staying with his game plan. The future is very bright for Spencer and I'm looking forward to working hard this summer with him.”

Papa isn't done at the championships just yet however. He will pair with teammate Andrew Harris to compete in the 32-team doubles draw on Thursday. Ranked No. 15 in the nation as a pair, Harris and Papa will face No. 23 Sean Donohue and Parker Wynn of Louisville.

Live scoring and video will be available for the championships here. For more information on Oklahoma men's tennis, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at @OU_MTennis.