Sept. 29, 2007
TULSA, Okla. - Santa Clara tennis players Blane Shields and Jay Wong competed Saturday in the Pre-Qualifying for the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships. Wong, a sophomore, moved into the third round of the tournament with a bye and a win, while Shields won his first round match before being eliminated in the second round. In order to reach the All-American Championships Qualifying rounds next week, Wong must win two more matches this weekend.
After receiving a bye in the first round, Wong faced the No. 33 seed, Miles Bugby of New Mexico. Despite being the underdog, Wong overwhelmed Bugby 6-4, 6-0 to move into the third round.
Shields did not receive a bye and he took on Clemson's Derek Difazio in Round 1. In an excellent performance, Shields took down the Atlantic Coast Conference competitor in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. In the second round, however, the Novato native faced David Galic of Baylor, one of the nation's top programs. After a narrowly escaping the first set 7-6 (7-3), Galic pulled away from Shields in the second set to win 6-2, eliminating the Bronco senior from the competition.
Wong gets back into action on Sunday morning in the third round, as he attempts to reach the qualifying stage next week.