Tulsa, Okla. – No. 42 ranked Carlos Lopez Villa of the Old Dominion University men’s tennis team upset No. 21 ranked Hunter Reese from the University of Tennessee in Round One of the 2014 Saint Francis Health System ITA Men's All-American Championship’s Main Draw, which is hosted by the University of Tulsa at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
Head ODU coach Aljosa Piric said after the match, “This is a good win for Carlos, and ODU, against a very good player. Carlos needs to continue to play with conviction, and boldness that he belongs with the best of them. If he does that, he will have opportunities against anyone he faces including, potentially, in the next round, the top ranked player in college tennis. It's his opportunity to go for it, and I know he will do just that tomorrow!”
No. 42 Carlos Lopez Villa was one of just 48 players to earn a direct birth into the Main Draw of the All-American Championships, while 18 guys earned at-large bids to fill up the tournament of 64. Originally, over 250 student-athletes were playing in the Qualifying Rounds in hopes to solidify one of the 16 final spots within the Main Draw.
After a rain delay brought action inside on Thursday afternoon, Lopez Villa won the first set over Reese, 6-4. Reese answered back claiming the second set, 7-5; however, it was ODU’s 6-foot-4-inch right-handed senior captain who outlasted Reese in the third set, 6-3.
Reese, who is a redshirt senior at Tennessee, has compiled quite an impressive resume throughout his collegiate career. He is 78-35 in his singles career and was ranked as high as No. 16 in the nation this past January. Just last season, Reese was crowned the doubles champion at the 2014 NCAA Tournament. Reese is a three-time NCAA qualifier and two-time ITA All-American. The Kennesaw, Georgia-native has also been named to the All SEC First Team in each of the past two seasons.
Next up for Carlos, will be Second Round action tomorrow against the winner of Baylor’s Julian Lenz versus Miami’s Piotr Lomacki. Lenz, who is the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, is currently the top ranked player in all of NCAA tennis. Lomacki earned his spot in the Main Draw by making it out of the Qualifying Round.
Lopez Villa, who tallied a 20-1 record last season ended the year winning nine matches in a row. Astonishingly, Carlos has compiled a 38-2 record over the past two seasons in an Old Dominion University uniform.
Last November, Carlos became just the second male in school history to capture the Regional Single’s crown. Then in May, Lopez Villa was named the sole 2014 recipient of the ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award for the entire Atlantic region.
To continue to follow Carlos throughout the tournament, please visit THIS PAGE for updated draws and scores.
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