TULSA, Okla. – Miroslav Herzan suffered his first singles setback of the year Sunday morning in the third round of Pre-Qualifying at the ITA All-American Championships.
Herzan (4-1), dropped a hotly-contested three-setter to Boise State's Brendan McClain, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
WSU junior Tin Ostojic is the last Shocker standing. He begins play at 9 a.m. Monday in the Qualifying Draw against No. 9 seed Jordan Daigle of LSU.
Ostojic (3-0) needs three victories in three days to reach the Main Draw, which kicks off Thursday.
The doubles team of Ostojic and Tomislav Gregurovic was a late add to the Qualifying Draw. They'll play their first match on Tuesday.
Gregurovic put in some extra work on Sunday, squaring off with Marquette's Daniel Fernandez in a singles consolation match. Fernandez was a 6-3, 6-2 winner.
Saturday Recap (Pre-Qualifying Rounds 1-2)
A massive field of 222 pre-qualifiers saw action Saturday on the opening day of the ITA All-American Championships. Few, if any, put in more court time as Wichita State freshman Miroslav Herzan.
Herzan survived a pair of grueling three-set matches, spanning some 65 games and three tiebreakers, to reach Sunday's third round. He's half way to a spot in Monday's Qualifying Draw.
Herzan (4-0 on the year) won a tough opening round match against Shota Meparidze of North Carolina State, 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5).
Hours later, he was back on the court to face Penn State's Tomas Hanzlik, seeded ninth in the draw and fresh from a first round bye.
It didn't seem to matter for Herzan, who played some of his best tennis late in a 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4 thriller.
The freshman was the only one of WSU's six early entrants to survive into Sunday.
WSU senior Ilija Cuic – seeded 20th in the draw – was upset by San Diego State's Frederik Gelbrich in Saturday afternoon's second round. 1-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Jocelyn Devilliers won a dramatic first set against Valparaiso's Jeffrey Schorsh in a tiebreaker but couldn't keep the momentum going, falling 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-4.
Teammate Guillermo de Vilchez saw a similar script unfold in a 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4 loss to Texas A&M's Jordan Szabo.
The Aggies dealt a second blow to WSU in the same round, with A&M's A.J. Catanzariti dispatching Shocker junior Sergio de Vilchez in straight-sets, 6-0, 6-4.
Elsewhere, Tomislav Gregurovic fell to Wisconsin-Green Bay's Leopold Gomez Islinger, 7-6(5), 6-2.
WSU junior Tin Ostojic received an at-large spot in the Qualifying draw and will see his first action on Monday. Ostojic will need to win three matches in three days to advance to the Main Draw.
Complete WSU Results:
Saturday, Sept. 27 –
Pre-Qualifying, Round 1
Miroslav Herzan (WSU) def. Shota Meparidze (NC State), 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5)
Jeffrey Schorsch (Valaparaiso) def. Jocelyn Devilliers (WSU), 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-4
Jordan Szabo (Texas A&M) def. Guillermo de Vilchez (WSU), 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4
AJ Catanzariti (Texas A&M) def. Sergio de Vilchez (WSU), 6-0, 6-4
Leopold Gomez Islinger (Wisc.-GB) def. Tomislac Gregurovic, 7-6(5), 6-2
Pre-Qualifying, Round 2
Miroslav Herzan (WSU) def. Tomas Hanzlik (Penn St.), 4-6, 7-6(8), 6-4
Frederik Gelbrich (San Diego St.) def. (20) Ilija Cuic (WSU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
Sunday, Sept. 28 –
Pre-Qualifying, Round 3
Miroslav Herzan (WSU) vs. Brendan McClain (Boise St.) – 10:30 a.m.
Pre-Qualifying, Consolation
Daniel Fernandez (Marquette) def. Tomislav Gregurovic (WSU), 6-3, 6-2
