Oct. 24, 2010
AUBURN, Ala. - Junior Alex Stamchev picked up two singles victories on Sunday to advance to the singles finals at the ITA Southern Regional held on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Stamchev is set to play in the finals on Monday morning.
"Alex (Stamchev) is playing very well and has given himself a great opportunity to really step it up tomorrow," head coach Eric Shore said. "I'm very proud with how he has played in this tournament."
Stamchev started the day with a quarterfinals match up against No. 31 Neal Skupski of LSU. The Pleven, Bulgaria, product earned a tough 7-6 win in the first set and followed with a 6-1 win in the second to take the match. Stamchev, ranked No. 73 nationally, concluded the day with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Jonas Lutjen of Ole Miss in the semifinals to reach the singles tournament championship match.
"I'm very happy with the way I'm playing and hope to continue to play well," Stamchev said. "This is a very good opportunity for me to really make a name for myself nationally."
Stamchev concludes singles competition Monday as he takes on 58th-ranked Tucker Vorster of Ole Miss.
Sophomore Tim Hewitt joined forces with Stamchev to compete in the semifinals of the doubles tournament. The pair fell to Mississippi State's George Coupland and Artem Ilyushin, 8-4. Hewitt faced Mark Bowtell of LSU in the singles quarterfinals and lost in two sets (6-3, 6-4).