TULSA, Okla. – Sophomore Alex Brown's run at the 2018 Saint Francis Health System ITA All American Championships came to an end Sunday with a loss to No. 1 seed Nuno Borges of Mississippi State, 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-7(4), in the semifinals. This marks the first time Brown has competed in this prestigious tournament.
"Up until the last set and half in Sunday's match, Alex (Brown) served really well," said head coach Brad Dancer. "He is developing a server's mentality where he can play well in the service game and is tough to break."
Brown opened up the semifinals strong against Borges, winning the first set in a tiebreak, 7-6(5). Ranked No. 2 in the preseason Oracle/ITA rankings, Borges won the remaining two sets to secure the match.
"Alex (Brown) had double match points in the second set and had multiple times where he put himself to win the match," said Dancer. "You cannot win them all, but the more times Alex (Brown) can put himself in position to win, he will have some great results coming up in the future."
The semifinalist started his All-American tourney run on Thursday morning where he defeated Miami's Adria Soriano Barrera, 6-4, 6-4. The next day, Brown battled back after the second set to win the second set against Simon Baudry of Clemson, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
On Saturday, Brown had an impressive showing, not dropping a single set on the day. The Urbandale, Iowa native defeated Valentin Vacherot of Texas A&M, 6-4, 6-4 in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Brown defeated qualifier and 2017 All-American quarterfinalist Kyle Seelig of Ohio State, 6-2, 6-3.
"I served well throughout the tournament and fought hard," said Brown.
Last season, Brown recorded a 23-11 singles record and was named a First-Team All-Big Ten honoree.
"He is calm in the big moments and developing an offensive mindset," noted Dancer.
Next up for the Fighting Illini is the ITA Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind. from Oct. 17-22.
Road to Semifinals
First Round | def. Adria Soriano Barrera, Miami (FL) 6-4, 6-4
Second Round | def. Simon Baudry (Clemson) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
Round of 16 | def. Valentin Vacherot (Texas A&M) 6-4, 6-4
Quarterfinals | def. (Q) Kyle Seelig (Ohio State) 6-2, 6-3
Semifinals | fell to No. 1Â Nuno Borges (Mississippi State) 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-7(4)
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