University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Tennis Alumnus Tripp Phillips Wins Second Professional Singles Title
April 16, 2002 | Men's Tennis
April 16, 2002
Chapel Hill, N.C. - Former Carolina All-American Tripp Phillips captured his first professional singles title on American soil Sunday afternoon in Mobile, Ala. Phillips defeated Lazar Magdincev of Macedonia 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 to win the $15,000 USTA Mobile Men's Professional Tennis Classic.
Sunday's victory was Phillips' second career world-wide singles title. In November 2000, Phillips captured the futures event in Johannesburg, South Africa. Both tournaments are ITF sanctioned events in which points are earned to increase a player's ATP Tour Ranking.
Phillips also teamed with Chapel Hill, N.C. native, Huntley Montgomery to win the doubles portion of the event. Phillips and Montgomery upset the third seeded team of Thomas Blake and Doug Bohaboy 6-3, 3-6, 7-5. Blake, a Harvard graduate, is the brother of current US Davis Cup member, James Blake.
The doubles title was the seventh Phillips has won worldwide since turning pro in the summer of 2000. Phillips is now ranked #389 in the ATP World Doubles Rankings.
Phillips' success is particularly noteworthy since he will be back in North Carolina this week competing in the Sprint Futures of Elkin tournament in Elkin, N.C. Phillips will face sixth seeded Doug Bohaboy in his opening round match at 12 Noon on Wednesday. Phillips and doubles partner Montgomery will play their first round match approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
Phillips, a 2000 graduate of the University of North Carolina, culminated his career by winning the prestigious Patterson Medal, the highest honor awarded to a senior student-athlete at Carolina.
Phillips is following in the footsteps of current Wimbledon doubles champion Don Johnson who has been ranked #1 in the ATP Tour Doubles Rankings since January. Both Phillips and Johnson train at UNC between tour events and continue to prosper under the guidance of Carolina Men's Tennis Coach Sam Paul.
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