The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Netters Fall to LSU in SEC Showdown
6/21/1999 | Men's Tennis
March 25, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- The No. 6 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team could not overcome losing the doubles point on their way to a 5-2 loss to fifth-ranked LSU Wednesday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The Rebels drop to 12-4 overall, 3-2 in the SEC, while LSU improves to 15-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play.
"LSU has a very good team," Head Coach Billy Chadwick said. "They are solid from top to bottom in the lineup. If we win the doubles point, then maybe things change a little. But my hats off to LSU. They played a great match. We are extremely pleased with the crowd and hope to see the same type of atmosphere for the Alabama match on Saturday. These next two weeks will be crucial for us and we are going to work hard to win all of our remaining matches."
Rebel netters Sebastien DeChaunac and Martin Sjoqvist downed Zak Blanchard and Eduardo Villagomez 8-2 at No. 2 doubles. LSU's Pedro Braga and Pedro Escudero defeated Sebastien Lami and Vikrant Chada 8-6 at No. 3 doubles and then Tom Hand and Michal Chmela sealed the point with a 8-6 win over Anders Stenman and James Shortall at No. 1 doubles.
In singles LSU took a 2-0 lead after Stenman retired in his match against Blanchard, due to injury. Lami recorded the Rebels' first point of the match and pulled Ole Miss to within 2-1 with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Escudero at No. 2 singles. He has now won nine of his last 10 matches.
LSU went up 3-1 when Villagomez downed Shortall 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6 singles. At No. 3 singles, Sjoqvist was down a set and serving to go to a third before being broke. Braga went on to win in the tiebreaker 6-2, 7-6(5) to clinch the match for the Tigers.
The Tigers Chmela upset seventh-ranked DeChaunac 7-5, 6-4 at No. 1 singles. It was DeChaunac's second loss in a row and only the second time in his career, that he has lost back-to-back SEC matches.
The Rebels will try to end a two-match losing streak Saturday, when they host 16th-ranked Alabama at 1:00 p.m., at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
#5 LSU 5
#6 Ole Miss 2
SINGLES
#1 Michal Chmela (LSU) def. Sebastien DeChaunac (OM) 7-5, 6-4
#2 Sebastien Lami (OM) def. Pedro Escudero (LSU) 6-3, 6-2
#3 Pedro Braga (LSU) def. Martin Sjoqvist (OM) 6-2, 7-6(5)
#4 Vikrant Chada (OM) def. Tom Hand (LSU) 6-4, 5-7, ret.
#5 Zak Blanchard (LSU) def. Anders Stenman (OM) 4-0, ret.
#6 Eduardo Villagomez (LSU) def. James Shortall (OM) 6-2, 6-2
DOUBLES
#1 Hand-Chmela (LSU) def. Stenman-Shortall (OM) 8-6
#2 DeChaunac-Sjoqvist (OM) def. Blanchard-Villagomez (LSU) 8-2
#3 Braga-Escudero (LSU) def. Lami-Chada (OM) 8-6
