Brian Vahaly to Compete at US Open Next Week

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Aug. 23, 2002

CHARLOTTESVILLE – Former University of Virginia tennis standout Brian Vahaly will begin play at the 2002 US Open next week in New York as he will face No. 25 seed James Blake in the first round. The match is one of the featured first round matches of the tournament.

Vahaly is currently ranked No. 146 in the world and is making his first appearance at the US Open. In his last tournament, he advanced to the round of 16 of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC before falling to Andre Agassi. His first round US Open opponent, Blake, won that event.

The tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 26th and the USA network will cover the action live the first week Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Since turning professional last year, Vahaly has defeated Michael Chang and won five Futures tournaments.

Vahaly completed his outstanding collegiate career at Virginia by earning All-America honors for the third time, advancing to the finals of the NCAA Singles Championship and compiling an overall record of 40-6 during the 2000-01 season. His 40 singles victories are a UVa single-season record and he advanced further in the NCAA Singles Championship than any player in UVa history. Vahaly, who was unseeded entering the 2001 NCAA singles competition, lost to third-seeded Matias Boeker of Georgia 6-2, 6-4 in the finals. He finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in singles in the final WingspanBank.com Men’s Collegiate Tennis Rankings.

Vahaly was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and the ACC flight champion at #1 singles his last two years at Virginia, and he earned All-ACC honors four times. He lost just three ACC singles matches during his four years as a member of the UVa program and only one his final three seasons. He earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors in 1998.

The native of Atlanta, Ga, was also named the University of Virginia’s Top Male Athlete as a senior in the spring of 2001.