Bermudian standout Daniel Phillips launched his singles campaign in commanding fashion for Tulane University, advancing to the third round of the 2026 Individual Tennis Championship Central.
Representing the Green Wave among elite company from all 11 American Athletic Conference men's programmes, the second seed produced a disciplined display to overcome Wichita State’s Rodrigo Cruz in straight sets.
However, Phillips experienced mixed fortunes on the opening day of action, suffering a narrow first-round exit in the doubles alongside partner Alec Gaudin.
Entering the singles draw with high expectations as the tournament's number two seed, Phillips took control early against Cruz.
The Bermudian dictated rallies with heavy groundstrokes from the back of the court, breaking Cruz decisively to claim the opening set 6-3.
The second set proved a much sterner test as the Wichita State competitor raised his level on serve, trading holds in a tense baseline duel. Phillips held firm when under pressure, breaking late before serving out a hard-fought 6-3, 7-5 victory to book his place in the next round.
Earlier in the day, Phillips teamed up with Gaudin for the first round of the Men’s Doubles championship against Florida Atlantic’s pairing of Jose David Segovia and Lucca Pignaton.
In a fast-paced, single-set pro-format contest, little separated the two tandems. Both pairs traded breaks across a tense encounter, but it was the Florida Atlantic duo who found the edge in the decisive late games, holding their nerve to edge out Phillips and Gaudin 8-6.
With doubles commitments concluded, Phillips shifts his full focus to the singles bracket as he targets a deep championship run for Tulane.
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