Fresno State Athletics
Cech Wins, Advances To NCAA Second Round
5/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 24, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. - Junior Jakub Cech defeated Eric Claesson of Mississippi during the NCAA singles first round, Wednesday at the Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University. Cech had not played in four weeks and started slowly, losing the first set 6-3. But the junior from Prague, Czech Republic, bounced back to win 6-3, and 6-2 in the second and third sets, respectively.
"After the first set, Jakub really got his rhythm back and started to play well," said head coach Jay Udwadia. "He took control of the match and by the third set he was playing his game."
Cech entered the match with a No. 49 national ranking, a 22-8 overall record and 16-4 dual match mark. Claesson was ranked 53rd with a 36-12 overall record.
Cech has had a tremendous season athletically and academically. He was recently named Fresno State's Harold Haak Scholarship award winner as the top male student-athlete with continuing eligibility. He was the WAC Player of the Year and a first-team All-WAC selection.
Cech's appearance in the NCAA tournament was a first for the men's program since Peter Luczak last made it to the tournament in 2001. Luczak and Olivier Le Jeune were the last to win matches in the tournament during the 1999 season.
Cech will play the winner of the match between Arnau Brugues (Tulsa) and Arvid Puranen (Virginia Tech) tomorrow at a time yet to be determined.
Players Mentioned
