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May 26, 2001

ATHENS, Ga. – Fourth-year University of Virginia men’s tennis player Brian Vahaly (Atlanta, Ga./The Lovett School) won a round of 16 and a quarterfinal match at the 2001 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships Saturday (May 26) in Athens, Ga., to advance to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament for the first time in his career. Vahaly defeated Washington’s Matt Hanlin and Duke’s Phil King, respectively, to reach the round of four.

Vahaly has now won a school-record 39 singles matches this season and has lost just five times during the 2000-01 campaign. In addition, Vahaly has advanced to at least the quarterfinals of three of the four Intercollegiate Tennis Association Grand Slam events during the 2001 season. He advanced to the finals at the T. Rowe Price National Clay Courts and the quarterfinals at the ITA All-American. Vahaly will play the winner of a match between Tulane’s Michael Kogan and Pepperdine’s Al Garland on Sunday (May 27).

In his first match of the day, Vahaly wasted now time dispatching Hanlin, winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Vahaly’s appeared to be on his way to another straight-sets victory over King in his quarterfinal match when he won the first set in convincing fashion, 6-2. King, who lost to Vahaly, 7-6, 6-1, earlier this season in dual match play, rebounded in the second set, winning 6-1, before Vahaly closed out the match with a 6-0 win in the third set.

Vahaly is due to play again this afternoon when he and doubles partner Huntley Montgomery (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill) play a second round match against Stanford’s K.J. Hippensteel and Alex Kim. Kim teamed with Geoff Abrams to knock the UVa duo out of the 2000 NCAA Championships in the first round.

SINGLES
First Round: Brian Vahaly (UVa) def. Nathan Overholser (Florida), 6-2, 6-1.Second Round: Brian Vahaly (UVa) def. Jean Simon (Texas), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Third Round: Brian Vahaly (UVa) def. Matt Hanlin (Washington), 6-1, 6-1.Quarterfinals: Brian Vahaly (UVa) def. Phil King (Duke), 6-2, 1-6, 6-0.

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