May 25, 2005
LAS VEGAS - UNLV senior men's tennis star Henner Nehles extended his personal winning streak to 11 matches as he cruised to victory in Wednesday's first round of the NCAA Singles Championship at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
Fighting through sticky weather conditions, Nehles, currently ranked 74th in the nation, swept 39th-ranked Scott Brown (17-7) of Vanderbilt 6-2, 6-4.
Brown was the highest-ranked opponent Nehles defeated since the big German stunned then-No. 8 Michael Kogan on Tulane on Feb. 7, 2004.
"It was very hot and humid out there today but I like to play under these conditions because it favors my style of game," Nehles said. "I don't know much about my next opponent but I feel like I am on a good streak right now."
Nehles advances to Thursday's second round where he will face Franticek Babej of South Alabama beginning at 9:30 a.m. PDT. Seeded 9-16 and ranked 16th, Babej had to rally past 31st-ranked Avery Ticer of Minnesota 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in his Wednesday match. The 64-player tournament runs through Monday.
Because Nehles was forced to withdraw from the field with an injury a year ago, he today became the first Rebel to compete at the tournament since Thomas Schneiter made it into the Round of 16 in 2002. Nehles also became the fourth UNLV men's player to win at least one match at the annual event and upped the program's all-time record at the NCAA singles tournament to 12-9.
Nehles improved to 29-8 this season while Brown, who was ranked as high as No. 17 in January and is his school's all-time winningest player, fell to 17-7. Nehles' 29 wins are the sixth-most in program history and best by a Rebel since 1994. His career winning percentage of .722 puts him seventh on the school's all-time list.
"Henner dominated with his game today and never gave his opponent an opportunity to take control," UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook said. "He handled the conditions very well against a tough Southeastern Conference player. I like the way he is playing."
NCAA 2005 MEN'S TENNIS SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIPAt George P. Mitchell Tennis Center, College Station, TX
FIRST ROUNDWednesday, May 25
#74 Henner Nehles (UNLV) def. #39 Scott Brown (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 6-4
SECOND ROUNDThursday, May 26 (9:30 a.m. PDT)
#74 Nehles (UNLV) vs. #16 Franticek Babej (South Alabama)
