UC Santa Barbara freshman Philip Therp lost in his first round match of the NCAA Men's Tennis Singles Championships by a score of 6-4, 6-4 to Rice's Ben Harknett on Wednesday.

Therp led 2-0 in the first set, but dropped six of the next eight games to Harknett, the No. 1 singles player for the Owls. Therp fell behind 3-0 in the second set, but tried to mount a comeback before succumbing.

Therp, one of just four freshmen competing in the 64-player bracket, played his first match with both hands since suffering a broken left wrist in a match in early February. He was sidelined for 11 matches, and, upon return to action in late March, played one-handed up until the NCAA Championships. Therp appeared to be rusty as he tried to revert back to his natural style of play against the hard-serving Harknett.

"Philip played a great match, and while he was able to hit the two-handed backhand, he couldn't drive through the ball," said UCSB head coach Marty Davis. "Against a guy like Harknett where serving is his strength, Philip did well to stay in the match throughout."

Therp still posted a 4-4 singles mark for the Gauchos while playing one-handed, managing to remain in the top 125 of the ITA rankings and earning 2007 Big West Freshman of the Year honors.

For more information on the NCAA Tennis Championships, please visit www.georgiadogs.com or by clicking on the link below.

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