Laurent to Face Top Seed in NCAA Singles First Round

EUGENE, Ore. - Oregon men's tennis sophomore Thomas Laurent will open the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championships on Wednesday in Athens, Ga., against No. 1 overall seed Mikael Torpeguard of Ohio State at 9 a.m. PT.

Laurent is making Oregon's first appearance in the singles tournament since 2005, when Sven Swinnen reached the second round.

"It's so well deserved for Thomas to be in there," said head coach Nils Schyllander. "He's just good. He's as good as anyone in the country and we're excited to go there and see what he can do."

Laurent, ranked 27th in the nation, has enjoyed a tremendous sophomore campaign for the Ducks, setting the UO single-season record for wins with a 30-6 overall record. He posted a 20-4 record in dual matches, all at the top spot, and set a program record with 18 consecutive wins at one point.

He will take on Torpeguard in the first round, the top overall seed and No. 2 ranked player in the country. Torpeguard was the runner-up in last year's NCAA Singles Championships and helped guide the Buckeyes to the semifinals of this year's team tournament.

The winner of Wednesday's match will move on to face either Ryotara Matsumura (Kentucky) or Korey Lovett (Central Florida) in the second round on Thursday (time TBD).