Sept. 18, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. ­ - Former Illinois men's tennis player Ryler DeHeart teamed with fellow American Denis Zivkovic to capture the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center USTA Pro Classic doubles title in Claremont, Calif, this past weekend. DeHeart, who claimed a singles and doubles title at the Lewis and Clark Community College Futures Tennis Tournament in Godfrey, Ill., on July 30, has now registered his third title in four finals appearances.

In singles action, DeHeart fell in the first round to fourth-seeded Sascha Kloer of Germany 6-4, 6-4. Kloer went on to finish runner-up at the event after being forced to retire in the finals due to an ankle injury. Junior Ruben Gonzales also was in action at the Claremont USTA event, falling in the first round to No. 2-seeded and eventual tournament-champion Dudi Sela of Israel 7-5, 6-1.

In other action, 2003 Illini Amer Delic continued to shine on the summer hard courts, making it to the finals of the WOW Café Challenger in New Orleans, La. The No. 1-seeded Delic cruised through the opening rounds, dropping only one set before falling in the finals to Cecil Mamiit of the Philippines 6-3, 7-6(1). In other singles action, former Illini Rajeev Ram made it to the quarterfinals of the New Orleans challenger, upsetting No. 8-seeded Zack Fleishman (USA) in the first round 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3. In the quarters, Ram's run came to an end at the hands of Eric Nunez (USA) 6-4, 6-4.

This coming week, Delic and Ram will be participating in the USTA Lubbock Challenger in Lubbock, Texas from Sept. 18-24. No. 2-seeded Delic and Ram both earned berths into the singles and doubles draw, with Delic teaming with American Robert Kendrick, while Ram will pair with fellow countrymen Bobby Reynolds. Gonzales is currently in action at the Costa Mesa Futures Pro Circuit event in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he has made it to the final round of the qualifying singles draw. Gonzales is vying for one of the eight qualifying spots into the main draw of the Futures event, which begins on Sept. 19. Gonzales' opponent in his final qualifying round matchup will be Monte Tucker of the United States.

For full tournament brackets, schedules and scores for the Lubbock Challenger and the Costa Mesa Futures Pro Circuit tournament, visit www.USTA.com and click on the pro circuit tab at the top of the page.