April 28, 2009
2009 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships Bracket in PDF Format 
INDIANAPOLIS - The Texas A&M men's tennis team earned its 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and one of 16 top tournament seeds as the 2009 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships field of 64 bracket was unveiled on Tuesday.
The 15th-seeded and 15th-ranked Aggies (15-8) will host one of 16 first-and second-round sites to be played on May 8-9 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas. A&M will face America East Conference champion Binghamton (17-4) in the first round slated for Friday, May 8 at 4 p.m. (CT) preceded by a matchup between 24th-ranked Arizona (17-5) and Southland Conference champion Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (14-8) at 1 p.m. (CT). The winners from both first-round matches will compete in second-round action on Saturday, May 9 at 4 p.m. (CT). It will be a first-time meeting between A&M and Binghamton, while the Aggies are undefeated in the all-time series versus Arizona (2-0) and TAMUCC (6-0).
"We are very excited to get to stay home and play on our own courts," said third-year Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton whose Aggies haven't played host to a first-and second-round site since 2006 having been sent to Baylor the last two years. "Obviously, it's a huge advantage for us. Our guys get to sleep in their own beds and we get to play in front of our own fans. The familiar surroundings help you out a lot, but ultimately, you still have to go out and play. There are three other teams who are going to come in here and want to be in the final 16 as well. We just have to work hard, get ready to play and be hungry when we step out on the court next week."
A&M is making its 17th overall NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and has reached the Round of 16 on eight all-time occasions and the Elite Eight once in 2001. The Aggies defeated three top 15 teams during the regular season, finished second in the Big 12 Conference standings and advanced to the Big 12 Championship semifinals as the No. 2 tournament seed. They played the nation's third-toughest schedule and are led by senior All-American and team captain Conor Pollock (San Antonio, Texas), ranked No. 18 nationally in the latest Campbell/ITA singles rankings, sophomore All-American and 2008 U.S. Open participant Wil Spencer (Ponce de Leon, Fla.), ranked No. 42. Krajicek and Pollock, who reached the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship a year ago, are currently ranked No. 7 in the country.
"They have played really well," said Denton on the team's accomplishments this season including a top seed in the NCAA Tournament. "We've certainly had a great season and beaten some really good teams (in USC, Illinois, Boise State, Washington and Texas). This team has showed a lot of character and great chemistry. I am very happy with what we have done thus far. We just have to keep it going when the new season starts next week for us."
The winner of each site will advance to the combined NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Tennis Championships hosted by Texas A&M University. The team championship will be held on May 14-19 in College Station. Fourth-seeded and fourth-ranked Georgia (22-3) enters this year's tournament as the defending national champion.
Each team will play a single-elimination tournament at 16 first-and second-round sites (four teams at each site) and the finals site (16-team bracket) to determine the national champion. The matches will be regulation dual matches with three (3) eight-game, pro-set doubles played for one team point, followed by six (6) singles matches, each valued at one team point, played best of three sets. Regular scoring will be used and a 12-point tiebreaker will be played at eight games all in doubles and at six games all in singles.
Fans can purchase tickets by calling the 12th Man Foundation Ticket Center at 1-888-99-AGGIE or by going online at www.12thManFoundation.com. Ticket prices range from $12 for all-session reserved (Stadium Club seating), $7 single day reserved (Stadium Club seating), $5 single day general admission and $3 single day for students and youth.
Participants in the 64-player singles championship and 32-team doubles championship bracket will be announced and posted on Wednesday, April 29 before 5 p.m. (CT) at www.NCAA.org. Individuals selected to participate will join the final 16 men's and women's teams on May 20-25 in College Station.
Live scoring, live video and results from the first and second rounds can be accessed via www.AggieAthletics.com.
2009 NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Championships
First and Second Rounds
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
College Station, Texas
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, May 8 (Round of 64)
Match #1: Arizona vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1 p.m. (CT)
Match #2: Texas A&M vs. Binghamton at 4 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, May 9 (Round of 32)
Second Round Match: Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #2 at 4 p.m. (CT)