Feb. 19, 2009

Tulsa, Okla. - Senior Arnau Brugues was named the No. 1 singles player in the country by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in the latest National Men's Singles poll released Thursday. Brugues becomes the first player in Tulsa history and Conference USA history to be ranked by the ITA as the nation's top singles player.

Brugues is having a sparkling senior season with a 26-3 singles record, which includes a 14-3 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. The three-time All-American has also won six matches over opponents currently ranked in the top-25 of the latest national singles poll.

The Barcelona, Spain, native enters this weekend's matches against 39th-ranked TCU and 55th-ranked SMU with the opportunity to move into a tie for first place all-time on the Tulsa career singles wins list. Brugues currently has 98 career singles victories, and needs only two more wins to tie Nenad Toroman (1996-2000) for the top spot.

Brugues is a three-time All-America selection, three-time Conference USA Player of the Year, 2008 ITA Central Region Singles Champion, and the 2006 Ralph Lauren All-American Singles Champion.

The 17th-ranked Tulsa men's tennis team is back at home to play a pair of nationally-ranked opponents this weekend at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The Hurricane will play 39th-ranked TCU at 6:00 p.m. Saturday and 55th-ranked SMU at 2:00 p.m. Sunday.