October 11, 2002

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Just one day after upsetting the top player in the nation, Virginia Tech men's tennis player Saber Kadiri lost in the second round of the Icy Hot/ITA Men's All-American Championships being played in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Kadiri (Sr., Algiers, Algeria), currently ranked No. 50 nationally, drew top-seed Jesse Witten of Kentucky in Thursday's first round and pulled off a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win. Witten currently is ranked No. 1 in the nation and lost in the NCAA finals last season.

However, Kadiri could not sustain the momentum and lost in the second round Friday 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to 49th-ranked Conor Niland of California. The loss eliminates Kadiri from the tournament.

Kadiri and his Tech teammates will return to action Oct. 25-29 at the ITA/Omni Hotels Regional in Philadelphia, Pa.