Kogan Moves on to the NCAA Quarterfinals

Wednesday, May 26

Tulsa, Okla.

TBA

Tulane University

NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships

Michael Kogan defeated #21 Pedro Rico in straight sets on Friday morning to advance to the NCAA Quarterfinals. [File photo by Ned Dishman]

May 28, 2004 | Men's Tennis

May 28, 2004

TULSA, Okla. - Showing little ill effects from his grueling schedule, Tulane University star Michael Kogan cruised to a straight-set victory to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2004 NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championship on Friday morning at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center at the University of Tulsa. The senior will play Duke's Philip King, the fifth-ranked player in the nation, on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Kogan, playing his fourth match in three days (three singles and one doubles), needed just over an hour to dispatch Pepperdine's Pedro Rico, 6-2, 6-2. Rico is the 21st-ranked player in the nation. Kogan, who is No. 11 in the nation, improves to 24-6 in singles action this year, including 19 victories over ranked players.

"The first two rounds [of singles in the tournament], I felt good physically, but I did not feel my game was going," Kogan said. "But yesterday's doubles match was a great match, by both teams, they just came up with the big shots to win. But that gave me some more confidence coming back to singles."

Kogan and partner David Goulet lost to Stanford's Sam Warburg and KC Corkery in the NCAA Doubles Championship on Thursday afternoon.

"I played really well today, solid and consistent," Kogan said. "It was a good day to take care of business; it was very hot and I did not want to stay out there very long."

"Michael played probably his best tennis of the year today," Tulane head coach Robert Klein said. "He served very well and had very few unforced errors. Rico had looked very impressive in his first two rounds and we expected a very tough match, but he never got going today."

Kogan had defeated Rico in straight sets during the dual-match season on March 27th and credited that experience with helping Friday's performance.

"I knew how to play him and knew what to expect," he said. "I executed pretty well and I served very well. I never gave him a chance to get into the match."

Next up for Kogan is King, the lone top eight seed (No. 5) remaining in the tournament. King has straight-set wins over LSU's Ken Skupski (#30), VCU's Pedro Nieto (#39) and Boise State's Guillaume Bouvier (#55) in the first three rounds of the tournament.

"King is a very good player," Kogan said. "He is fast; he moves really well; he has a good passing shot. I have to be more consistent and focused every point I play."

Kogan played King two years ago at the 2001 ITA All-American Championships in Stone Mountain, Ga., with the Green Wave star upending the Duke standout, 6-1, 7-6 on Oct. 12.

Kogan's wins in this year's tournament have come over Cal's Balasz Veress (#71), Antonio Ruiz (#49) from Texas and Rico. He dropped his first set with Ruiz, but won the others in straight sets.

With a victory on Saturday morning, Kogan would advance to the semifinals (Sunday) for the first time in his career. As a freshman, he also reached the quarterfinals. If he reaches the semifinals, he will play the winner of the match between North Carolina's Nicholas Monroe and South Alabama's Franticek Babej.