May 22, 2006

LAS VEGAS - UNLV tennis sophomore Elena Gantcheva will have to wait an additional day to open play at the NCAA Singles Championship as a rainy Sunday in Palo Alto, Calif., forced event organizers to revise the schedule.

Gantcheva, seeded 9-16, was to have played her first round on Tuesday but NCAA team play has spilled over into the week, which bumps the first round of individual action to Wednesday. Weather permitting, the 64-player draw will be played out through the final on Monday on the campus of Stanford University.

"Obviously it was a tough day for everyone here with the bad weather on Sunday," said UNLV head coach Kevin Cory, who traveled with Gantcheva to the tournament site. "However, the delay gives Elena an extra day to practice at sea level, which is a plus. She is playing as well as anytime in her college career right now so we just have to keep her focused."

Gantcheva, who will go through 90-minute practice sessions vs. a playing partner today and tomorrow, will find out her first-round opponent on Tuesday morning when the official draw is released.