University of Minnesota Athletics
Hadash Gets Late Call Into NCAA Tennis Field
5/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
With less than 24 hours to prepare for his opening match, Minnesota’s Ishay Hadash learned he has been chosen to participate in the NCAA men’s tennis individual championships.
Hadash was the second alternate for the 64-player field and will face a rematch of his biggest victory of the season against 10th-ranked Cory Parr of Wake Forest. The match is set for Wednesday at 10 a.m. in College Station, Texas. Hadash beat Parr 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 on Feb. 20 in a dual match at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, leading the Gophers to a 5-2 team victory. Parr enters Wednesday’s match with a 31-9 overall record.
A sophomore from Lapid, Israel, Hadash was ranked 62nd in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings and brings a 20-12 singles record into the national tournament. He is the first Minnesota player to reach the individual national tournament since D.J. Geatz in 2006. Hadash is the 21st Minnesota player all-time to earn a spot in the NCAA field.
Hadash replaces UCLA’s Haythem Abid, who was forced to withdraw. The winner of his first match faces either Alex Lacroix of Florida or Omar Altmann of Pepperdine on Thursday. If Hadash wins his first two matches, he could face the top-seeded player, Arnau Brugues of Tulsa, in the round of 16 on Friday.
Also on Tuesday, Southern California defeated Ohio State 4-1 to win the NCAA men’s team championship. Minnesota was eliminated by the Trojans 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Los Angeles.
Players Mentioned
