The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Kentucky
Men's Tennis Drops Match To No. 7 Kentucky
3/8/2002 | Men's Tennis
March 8, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The 11th-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 7 Kentucky Friday afternoon at the Hillary J. Boone Tennis Center. With the loss, the Rebels drop to 6-3 overall 1-2 in the SEC.
Ole Miss fell behind early after Kentucky won the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles. The senior duo of Kristofer Stahlberg and Martin Selin did knock off the 22nd-ranked Kentucky team of Evan Austin and Karim Benmansour 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.
In singles, 33rd-ranked Rebel Alex Hartman dropped a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 match to No. 5 Jesse Witten at the top spot. Stahlberg defeated 39th-ranked Benmansour 7-6, 7-6 at No. 2 singles. He is now 31-8 lifetime against SEC opponents.
At No.3 singles, Catalin Gard fell to 77th-ranked Austin 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. The loss was his first since the quarterfinal round of the national team indoor and just second this spring. Selin beat Kentucky's Matt Emery 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 singles.
Paul Ciorascu lost the first set to 81st-ranked Gustav Pousette, but rallied to win the second. The two battled to a third-set tiebreaker, but Pousette won for a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 victory at No. 5 singles. Rounding out the scoring, sophomore Claes Lindholm, who had won eight in a row, lost his first dual match of the season, 6-3, 6-4, to Rahim Esmail.
The Rebels will head to Nashville Sunday, to take on the 28th-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores.
#7 Kentucky 5
#11 Ole Miss 2
SINGLES
#1 Jesse Witten (UK) def. Alex Hartman (OM) 6-4, 7-6
#2 Kristofer Stahlberg (OM) def. Karim Benmansour (UK) 7-6, 7-6
#3 Evan Austin (UK) def. Catalin Gard (OM) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
#4 Martin Selin (OM) def. Matt Emery (UK) 6-3, 6-4
#5 Gustav Pousette (UK) def. Paul Ciorascu (OM) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6
#6 Rahim Esmail (UK) def. Claes Lindholm (OM) 6-3, 6-4
DOUBLES
#1 Selin-Stahlberg (OM) def. Austin-Benmansour (UK) 8-4
#2 Pousette-Emery (UK) def. Chucri-Hartman (OM) 8-4
#3 Witten-Esmail (UK) def. Gard-Lindholm (OM) 8-4
