May 24, 2006

Stanford, Calif. - The University of Tulsa's seventh-ranked Arnau Brugues tallied a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Virginia Tech's Arvid Puranen in the first round of the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championships on Wednesday afternoon at the Taube Tennis Center in Stanford, California. Brugues will take on Fresno State's 49th-ranked Jakub Cech in the second round. Match time has not yet been announced.

In the first set, Brugues played catch-up, trailing even in the tie-break before taking the first set 7-6 (4). He relaxed in the second set and earned a 6-4 win to advance to tomorrow's second round. Brugues has registered an 18-2 mark this year, including a 10-1 record against ranked opponents.

"Arnau played well," Head Coach Vince Westbrook said. "Getting through first-round nerves is very important. Arvid [Puranen] is a very good match-up for Arnau. He is a big baseliner. Once Arnau loosened up, you could see him improve and he began playing his game."