Flushing, N.Y.--Georgia State senior Victor Valente, the first men's tennis student-athlete in school history to earn an invite to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, fell to No. 1-ranked Henrique Cunha (Duke) by a 7-5, 6-3 score on Thursday.

Valente started strong in his first round matchup vs. Cunha by taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. But the No. 1 singles player from Duke rallied and carried the momentum of a first set win into the second set. Valente begins competition in the men's singles consolation draw on Friday morning. He takes on the No. 67-ranked player in the ITA Preseason Singles rankings in Princeton's Matija Pecotic. The two take the court at 4:30 p.m.

Valente earned an at-large invitation to the event, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, by advancing to the finals at the ITA Southeast Regional Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., last month.

Cunha entered the tournament as the fourth seed and the No. 1-ranked player on the ITA Preseason Singles rankings released in September. He earned entry into the tournament after also advancing to a singles final of the ITA Regional Championship.

Consolation singles play begins on Friday following doubles play, which begins at 9 a.m. Fans can follow Valente's match through live stats, live audio and a live blog. The host of the event, Columbia University, will be updating its tournament central page throughout the day.

Visit the GeorgiaStateSports.com for daily updates on Valente's play at the 2012 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.

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