URBANA, Ill. – Sophomore Søren Hess-Olesen defeated 21st-ranked Chris Simpson of LSU in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship singles draw on Wednesday at the University of Illinois’ Atkins Tennis Center.

After a hour-and-a-half rain delay, the 37th-ranked Hess-Olesen defeated Simpson in three sets (6-4, 5-7, 6-3) for his fifth consecutive win, which now includes two wins against top-25 opponents. The Aarhus, Denmark native improves to 19-10 on the season in singles competition.

Hess-Olesen won the first set with two service breaks, the first giving him a 4-2 lead and the second deciding the set, 6-4. After a 7-5 loss in the second set, Hess-Olesen jumped out to leads of 3-0 and 5-1 in the third before winning the deciding set, 6-3.

Hess-Olesen will face No. 56 Clifford Marsland of Tulsa in the second round on Thursday. Marsland upset No. 14 Nik Scholtz of Mississippi in the first round on Wednesday.

Live scoring and video of the NCAA Championship singles and doubles draws are available through FightingIllini.com.