HARBATSIUK FALLS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF NCAA SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP

5/26/2010

ATHENS, Ga. -- Sacramento State junior Kiryl Harbatsiuk fell in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship to Tulsa’s Marcelo Arevalo, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2, Wednesday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the Georgia campus.

Harbatsiuk, who became the first player in men’s tennis program history to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship, is currently ranked 91st in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) while Arevalo is ranked 42nd. Arevalo was also a member of the El Salvador Davis Cup team.

Harbatsiuk squandered 5-3 and 6-5 leads in the first set, and had a set point in the tiebreaker at 6-5, but Arevalo turned back each of those chances. Harbatsiuk saved two set points during the tiebreaker at 6-7 and 7-8 before Arevalo ran off two straight points to win the breaker, 10-8. In the second set, Harbatsiuk trailed, 3-2, before Arevalo won three straight games to win the set and match.

Harbatsiuk, who was named the Big Sky Conference MVP for the second straight year, and first team all-conference for the third consecutive year, finished the regular season by winning a school-record 25 straight dual singles matches. The Minsk, Belarus, native went 26-1 in dual play, including an 18-0 mark at No. 1 in the team’s lineup. Harbatsiuk was ranked as high as 40th in the nation at one point during the season, the highest ranking every given to a Sacramento State men’s tennis player.

Harbatsiuk led this year’s Hornet squad to an NCAA Tournament appearance, a Big Sky Tournament championship, a Big Sky regular season title, and a 17-12 overall record. The team fell to ninth-ranked UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.