May 25, 2008
Post-Match Quotes
2008 NCAA Men's Singles Draw in PDF Format 
Clayton's Singles Results in PDF Format
Seventh-ranked freshman Alex Clayton fell today in Tulsa to the top-ranked player, Virginia's Somdev Devvarman, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the semifinals of the 2008 NCAA Men's Singles Championship, ending a fantastic rookie campaign.
The Stanford standout jumped ahead yet again at the beginning of the match, going up three games to one on the defending singles champion in the first set. Unfortunately, Clayton made a few errors in the set that Devvarman was able to take advantage of, and the Cavaliers' top player ended up stealing the set away 6-4.
Clayton fought hard in the hot, humid weather and refused to go down without a fight, as he forced the tiebreaker in the second set. Devvarman ended up just being too much though, and went on to capture the match in straight sets.
"It was very, very close," said Head Coach John Whitlinger. "It was a point here, a point there, and a few could have gone our way but they didn't. Alex had a chance to go up 4-1 in the first set but just couldn't pull it out as he had some service errors."
"You have to give Devvarman all the credit in the world," Whitlinger continued. "He battled and fought and came up with the big plays when he needed to. That's why he's only lost one match this year and why he's the defending champion and back in the finals this year."
Devvarman will go on to face Tennessee's No. 24 J.P. Smith in the final tomorrow.
"I'm really proud of Alex and of the effort he gave today," praised Whitlinger. "It's not an easy task to go up against Somdev and Alex left nothing on that court. He finished with an incredible 30-win record and reached the semis of the NCAA Championships in only his freshman year. He's only going to get better for next season."
Clayton, the ITA Rookie of the Year, finished the season with a stellar 30-9 record overall and a 19-8 standing against nationally-ranked opponents.--------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 24, 2008
TULSA, Okla. - Seventh-ranked Alex Clayton proved why he's one of the best in the nation today, advancing to the semifinals of the 2008 NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship after defeating Pepperdine's No. 37 Bassam Beidas, 6-2, 6-4, at the University of Tulsa. Tomorrow at 12 p.m. CT. Clayton will tangle with Virginia's Somdev Devvarman, the top-ranked player all year, for a spot in Monday's finals.
"Alex got another good start and kept the momentum up," head coach John Whitlinger commented about Clayton handily taking the first set. "After that first match when he went to three sets, I think he learned and it's been his M.O. in the last couple of matches to get out of the blocks quickly."
The second set proved more difficult, as neither player had more than a two-game lead at any time. Moving into the 10th game of the second stanza, Clayton led 5-4, and made sure that Beidas wouldn't force a third set by taking the game, set, and match. Clayton's victory over Beidas marks his third straight-set victory in a row at the NCAA tournament.
"Alex is staying focused and he isn't letting anything bother him," offered Whitlinger. "He's had excellent composure for a freshman. Also, he's been serving great. I think he's only lost the serve maybe twice."
Clayton's next opponent, Devvarman, advanced after defeating Baylor's No. 9 Denes Lukacs, 6-0, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Tomorrow's match will be the second time the two have met in the semifinals of a tournament this year. Back in November, the two dueled at the ITA National Indoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio. In that match, Devvarman was the victor, defeating Clayton 6-4, 6-4. Devvarman eventually went on to win the tournament crown.
Fans can follow the match with live scoring and video by clicking here.
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May 23, 2008
TULSA, Okla. - Seventh-ranked freshmen Alex Clayton secured his spot in the quarterfinals today as he defeated Ohio State's No. 13 Bryan Koniecko, 6-2, 7-6 (5), in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Singles Championship at the University of Tulsa.
The match, which was supposed to start at 11 a.m. CT, was postponed to 12:30 p.m. because of inclement weather.
"It was another great win," said head coach John Whitlinger. "Alex came out ready to go and got on Koniecko early. It was a little tighter in the second set, but we were happy to get through."
Clayton will face Pepperdine's No. 37 Bassam Beidas tomorrow as Beidas completed a surprising upset of Georgia's No. 4 Travis Helgeson, 6-1, 6-4, to continue in the tournament. Clayton and Beidas have already squared off once this season, at the ITA Indoor National Championships in the fall. Clayton was victorious on that occasion, 6-2, 6-4.
"Beidas is a good player," added Whitlinger. "It's surprising, but not as shocking that he got past Helgeson as people think."
"Alex has played Beidas before back in indoors, but the conditions of tomorrow's match will be different. We like our chances and we are looking forward to tomorrow."
Clayton's match against Beidas is slated for 1:30 p.m. CT. Fans can follow along with live scoring and a live video feed of the match at this link .
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May 22, 2008
TULSA, Okla - Seventh-ranked Alex Clayton will be able to continue his quest to win the NCAA Singles Championship in only his first year on The Farm as he advanced to the Round of 16 after defeating UCLA's No. 23 Harel Srugo, 6-3, 7-6 (7), today at the University of Tulsa.
It was another close match for Clayton, as the second set was yet again one where points were traded back and forth between the two players. Clayton looked as if he would capture the match in the extra game of the second set, but Srugo battled back to force the tiebreaker.
"Alex had a chance to go up in the second set but he slipped into a 10 minute stretch where he didn't play his best tennis, and allowed Srugo to get back into it," said Head Coach John Whitlinger.
The breaker was also point-for-point, until Clayton charged ahead from the 7-7 knot to win by 3 tallies.
"It was a good win," added Whitlinger. "Harel is a good player, and we knew him well from the season, but Alex battled back and survived. That's what you have to do, all of these matches are going to be tough; they're supposed to be. It's about surviving and advancing."
"I'm grateful for the match ending in straight-sets. It was a little hot and humid today, and going into a third set would have been physically rough on the guys."
Tomorrow at 11 a.m. CT, Clayton will face Ohio State's No. 16 Bryan Koniecko, who upset Florida State's No. 13 Jean-Yves Aubone by powering back after tough first set, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The winner of Clayton-Koniecko will take on the victor between Georgia's No. 4 Travis Helgeson and Pepperdine's No. 37 Bassam Beidas in the quarterfinals. Clayton competed against both of those players back in the fall and fell to Helgeson 6-2, 6-2, but defeated Beidas 6-2, 6-4.
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May 21, 2008
TULSA, Okla. - Stanford freshman and ITA National Rookie of the Year Alex Clayton, ranked seventh in the nation, defeated Radford's No. 103 Martin Sayer today in three sets in the Round of 64 at the NCAA Singles Championships in Tulsa, Okla. With the win, Clayton advances to the Round of 32 and will face UCLA's No. 23 Harel Srugo tomorrow.
The match was very tight, as Clayton and Sayer traded points back and forth. Sayer took the first set 4-6, and Clayton battled back to take the second stanza by the same score, forcing the deciding third try. Clayton stayed strong and focused, capturing the third set with another score of 6-4.
"Sayer was excellent," commented head coach John Whitlinger. "It was a very competitive and hard fought match, and a few points here and there decided it. Alex played very well to take the match."
Clayton's 1:30 p.m. CT match tomorrow against Pac-10 foe Srugo will be a chance for the Cardinal standout to avenge the three-set loss suffered to the Bruin in a dual match on April 5. In that duel, Srugo came out on top by a score of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
"Alex is happy he gets the chance to play [Srugo] again," added Whitlinger. "He's looking forward to it immensely."
The winner of the match will play the winner of Florida State's No. 13 Jean-Yves Aubone and Ohio State's No. 16 Bryan Koniecko on Friday.