TULSA, Okla. – University of South Alabama’s Romain Bocaert battled injuries in his ITA Men’s Tennis All-American Championships qualifying match Monday against Virginia’s Julen Uriguen, but persevered to pull out a 7-5, 6-2 win at the Case Tennis Center.

Bocaert, a senior from Lille, France, will move on to play either Thibaut Visy of San Diego or Charlie Jones of Vanderbilt tomorrow in the second qualifying round.

“I still can't believe Romain won,” said USA head coach Nick Brochu. “He seriously injured his back this morning at practice. We were even considering retiring from the tournament. Romain was probably at 50 percent, but he fought like a champion. I am so proud of him. He stayed focused and never complained about his injury. We will get a lot of rest and get ready for tomorrow.”

Uriguen, ranked No. 65 in the nation, went 25-6 (9-0 ACC) for the Cavaliers last season, who finished the regular season as the top-ranked team in Division I and was the eventual national runner-up.

“Before the match, he told me that it even hurt him when he was just breathing,” said Brochu. “I told him that if he was only 50 percent, do the best you can with that 50 percent and compete until the end. He showed a lot of character today. It is a great win for him, especially on his 21st birthday.”

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