May 25, 2000

ATHENS, Ga.-- North Carolina senior Tripp Phillips' magical final season in a Tar Heel men's tennis uniform lasted one more day Thursday as the fifth-year player from Charlotte, N.C. upset Stanford's Geoff Abrams to advance to the Round of 16 in the 2000 NCAA Division I Men's Singles Championship at the University of Georgia.

Phillips advanced with a 7-5, 6-4 triumph over Abrams, the tournament's #6 seed. On Friday in the Round of 16, Phillips will meet Baylor's Johann Jooste, who is playing as hot as Phillips is in the tournament. Jooste has advanced with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Stejskal Frantisek of Pennsylvania and a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Alex Osterreith of Arizona State.

Phillips, the nation's 22nd-ranked player, has already clinched automatic first-team All-America status this season as accorded by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. His win over Abrams on Thursday improved his record this year to 24-5.