Oct. 12, 2008

Contact: Dana Ingraham

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Cleveland State will not come home from Louisville empty handed as Chris Klepatz notched a first place finish in the main draw of the "C" singles flight and Robert Fox earned a fifth place finish in the same flight.

Klepatz finished 5-0 in singles play on the weekend, defeating Gursher Harika of Toledo, 7-6(4), 6-1, in his final match of the tournament. The match could have been a preview of what is to come, since there is a good chance Klepatz could see Harika again later in the season when Cleveland State faces Toledo in the spring.

"Chris is playing the smartest tennis of his career so far at Cleveland State," said head coach Brian Etzkin. "He was able to mix things up and adjust his strategies to pick up some great wins. He had that fire in his eyes this weekend and he really went after it."

Klepatz's "C" flight championship marks the first time that CSU has won a draw at the Louisville Invitational since Etzkin took over the program in 2002.

Fox won both of his matches on Sunday against Xavier opponents, emerging as the winner of the "C" consolation bracket, meriting him a fifth place finish overall in the flight. In the semi-finals, Fox defeated Marc Pretorius in straight sets, advancing to defeat Brian Starr in an exciting three set final match, 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-7.

"Rob Fox put forth a great effort today," Etzkin said. "He kept his head when things were close, especially in his last match that went to a super tiebreaker.

"This weekend was a big step forward for us. This is the best we have done at this tournament as a team and I am looking forward to building on this performance."

The Vikings also competed in two doubles exhibition matches on Sunday. The new combination of Yannick Goossens and Rob West picked up a win against Xavier while Steven Wipprecht and Aris Spirtos defeated opponents from South Dakota State.

Next up for CSU is the ITA Regional Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, Oct. 16 at Ohio State.

Louisville Invitational
Third Day Results
Main draw "C" flight championship match
Chris Klepatz (CSU) def. Gursher Harika (Toledo), 7-6(4), 6-1
Consolation draw "C" flight semi-final
Robert Fox (CSU) def. Marc Pretorius (Xavier), 6-4, 6-1
Consolation draw "C" flight final
Robert Fox (CSU) def. Brian Starr (Xavier), 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-7

Doubles exhibition
Goossens/West (CSU) def. Starr/Palmenter (Xavier), 8-4
Wipprecht/Spirtos (CSU) def. Pyle/Lauseng (S. Dakota State), 8-5