May 25, 2011

LAS VEGAS - UNLV senior Mehdi Bouras pushed the nation's sixth-ranked player into a tiebreaker but eventually lost in straight sets during the first round of the NCAA Singles Championships at Stanford's Taube Family Tennis Center Wednesday.

Bouras, ranked 72nd, matched his opponent game for game in the first set but then lost 7-2 in the tiebreaker vs. Kentucky's Eric Quigley. The second set brought a couple of rain delays, including a two-hour break, before Quigley finished out the 7-6, 6-2 win to advance to the second round.

Bouras finished with a 22-12 record while Quigley improved to 45-14 this season. The Rebel star's collegiate career is not finished, however, as he and partner Bernard Schoeman will compete in the first round of the NCAA Doubles Championship on Thursday. The UNLV duo will face second-seeded Drew Courtney and Michael Shabaz of Virginia.

"Mehdi played very well today but came up just short in the first set," said UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook. "We are all looking forward to coming back out here for doubles play tomorrow."