SAN DIEGO – Elon University men's tennis senior Veljko Krstic challenged the defending national singles champion Friday at ITA Conference Masters. The tournament is being contested at Barnest Tennis Center.
 
Krstic took the opening set of his quarterfinal against Columbia's Michael Zheng to a tiebreak. Zheng is No. 1 in the ITA's singles rankings and is No. 180 in the live ATP rankings after winning three ATP Challenger titles this summer. Zheng won the singles national title a season ago.
 
Zheng broke first in the opening set but Krstic responded, getting the break back and holding serve to keep the lead in the closing stages of the frame. Leading 5-4, Krstic had a pair of set points in a Zheng service game, but Zheng saved both. He then broke Krstic to take a 6-5 lead, but Krstic again had the answer, getting to 0-40 in the next game and eventually breaking on his third opportunity to force a breaker.
 
Krstic took an early lead in the tiebreak, hitting a forehand winner to go ahead, 3-1. Zheng leveled the score, 3-3, at the change of ends, but Krstic won two of the next three points to take a 5-4 lead. Zheng held both his next two service points to go back ahead, 6-5, and then won his third straight point to take a high-quality first set. Zheng went on to close out the match in the second set.
 
Krstic is the first player to win more than four games in a set against Zheng this fall. Zheng had lost two or fewer games in six of his 10 singles sets entering Friday's quarterfinal.
 
In doubles, Krstic and Nikola Parichkov picked up a consolation victory, coming through in a match tiebreak against Alabama A&M's duo of Juwan Bae and Yin Chih Lan. Krstic and Parichkov lost the first set but won the second, 6-2, before winning 10-8 in a thrilling breaker. They then lost their consolation quarterfinal against Belmont's duo of Sabi Rol and Stefan Vedovelli in a match tiebreak.
 
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Results
Singles
Michael Zheng (Columbia) def. Veljko Krstic (Elon) 7-6 (5), 6-1
 
Doubles
Veljko Krstic/Nikola Parichkov (Elon) def. Juwan Bae/Yin Chih Lan (Alabama A&M) 5-7, 6-2, 10-8
Sabi Rol and Stefan Vedovelli (Belmont) def. Veljko Krstic/Nikola Parichkov (Elon) 4-6, 7-5, 11-9