The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Tennis Coninues Play at Clay Court Championship
6/21/1999 | Women's Tennis
Sept. 26, 1998
BALTIMORE, Md. - Mariana Eberle and Celeste Frey of the Ole Miss women's tennis team advanced to the doubles final at the T. Rowe Price National Clay Court Championships Saturday, while Agnes Muzamel reached the semifinals in singles, before losing in three sets. The Rebels' Martin Sjoqvist and Martin Selin knocked off the top-seeded team in the tournament to advance to the quarterfinals in men's doubles before bowing out.
Eberle and Frey defeated South Alabama's Martina Ondrejkova and Eva Puflerova 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the final where they will face the nation's second-ranked team and the No. 1 seed Marissa Catlina and Vanessa Castellano of Georgia at 11:30 a.m. CST, Sunday. This tournament marks the first time that Eberle and Frey have played together. Frey transfered from Florida International.
Eberle and Frey made history when they won, becoming the first doubles team in Ole Miss women's tennis history to make the finals at the National Clay Court Championships. Former All American Marie-Laure Bougnol reached the finals two years in a row in singles and won it in 1993, while Muzamel made the singles final last year.
In semifinal singles, Muzamel, seeded No. 4 in the tournament, won the first set against second-seeded Zuzana Lesnerova of San Diego 6-4. The two battled to a second set tiebreaker, but Lesnerova won 7-5 and carried the momentum into the third set where she took control 6-0 for the win. In the quarterfinal round, Muzamel defeated Notre Dame's Michelle Dasso 6-3, 7-5.
This was Muzamel's third semifinal appearance in a grand slam tournament during her career. She has reached at least the quarterfinals in seven of nine grand slam appearances. She ranks fifth on the all-time clay court victory list.
In other quarterfinal action, Ivona Mihailova fell in straight sets to top-seeded Mirela Vladlescu of UAB 6-3, 6-2.
Sjoqvist and Selin won the first set 6-2 against top-seeded Paul Martin and Nick Crowell (Texas) and then the Longhorn duo, ranked No. 2 in the nation in the preseason rankings, took the second set 6-1. The third set went to a deciding tiebreaker with the Rebel tandem winning 8-6 to advance to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals Virginia Tech's Adam and Aaron Marchetti handed Sjoqvist and Selin, ranked No. 43 in the nation, a 6-3, 6-4 loss. Sjoqvist and Selin had never played together before this tournament. Sjoqvist has been a part of two nationally-ranked teams in the last two years with former All-Americans Johan Landsberg and Sebastien DeChaunac. Selin was the 1997 Swedish Champion.
WOMEN'S MAIN DRAW SINGLES
QUARTERFINALS Vladulescu (UAB) def. Mihailova (OM) 6-3, 6-2 Muzamel (OM) def. Dasso (ND) 6-3, 7-5
SEMIFINALSLesnerova (USD) def. Muzamel (OM) 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-0
WOMEN'S MAIN DRAW DOUBLES (FROM LATE FRIDAY)
QUARTERFINALS Ondrejkova/Puflerova (USA) def. Muzamel/Chapman (OM) 6-4, 6-2Eberle/Frey (OM) def. Brown/Emami (UK) 0-6, 6-2, 7-5
SEMIFINALS (SATURDAY) Eberle/Frey (OM) def. Ondrejkova/Puflerova (USA) 6-3, 6-3
MEN'S MAIN DRAW DOUBLES SECOND ROUND Sjoqvist/Selin (OM) def. Martin/Crowell (UTEXAS) 6-2, 1-6, 7-6(6)
QUARTERFINALS Ad. Marchetti/A. Marchetti (VT) def. Sjoqvist/Selin (OM) 6-3, 6-4
