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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
SEC Indoor Championships
Rebels Place Two In Quarterfinals At SEC Indoor Championships
1/17/2003 | Men's Tennis
Jan. 17, 2003
OXFORD, Miss. - Alex Hartman and Paul Ciorascu of the No. 8 nationally-ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team advanced to the quarterfinals at the SEC Indoor Championships Friday at the Racquet Club of the South. The Rebels are one of two teams to have more than one player reach the quarterfinals.
Alex Hartman, the tournament's No. 7 seed, won both his matches with no trouble. In the first match, he dominated Stephan Timu of Georgia 6-2, 6-2. In the afternoon round of 16 matches, Hartman downed Kentucky's Karim Benmansour 6-2, 6-4. It marks the fourth consecutive year he has reached at least the quarterfinals. He advanced to the finals his first two years and the quarters last year.
Hartman will face the No. 1 seed Jesse Witten (Kentucky) in the semifinals. He is looking for his first win over last season's ITA Rookie-of-the-Year. If Hartman wins, he could face his own teammate in the semifinals.
Junior Paul Ciorascu, the eighth seed, also reached the quarterfinals, but his path wasn't quite as easy. He had to win two tiebreakers on the day to advance to the quarterfinals. In his first match he won a second set tiebreaker for a 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 comeback win over Florida's Eleazar Magallon. In the round of 16, Ciorascu defeated another Florida player, Olivier Levant. It came down to a tiebreaker.
Ciorascu won the first set 7-5, and then Levant took the second 6-2. The two battled back and forth to reach the tiebreaker, which Ciorascu won 7-5. He will face the third seed Bobby Reynolds of Vanderbilt, in the quarterfinals.
The rest of the Rebels weren't as fortunate. Senior Patrick Chucri played tough against Andrew Colombo of Auburn, but dropped a 7-6(3), 7-5 decision. Sophomore Catalin Gard lost a tough third set tiebreaker against LSU's Peter Richman in the second round. Richman won 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). Junior Claes Lindholm cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Eduardo Pacheco (Arkansas) in the second round. He looked to be in control against Georgia's Bo Hodge in the third round, but Hodge rallied for a 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.
The Rebels only have one doubles team remaining in the draw. Hartman and Lindholm defeated Eklund and Westman of South Carolina 8-5 in the first round. They only completed one round on Friday. Karim Alayli and Chucri lost a heartbreaker in the second round, 9-8(4) to Cory Ross and Sebastien Rutka. Ciorascu and Gard lost their opening doubles match 8-4 to Florida's team of Levant and Magallon.
MEN'S TENNIS SEC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - Norcross, Ga.
SINGLES
Second round - Alex Hartman (OM) def. Stephan Timu (UGA) 6-2, 6-2; Paul Ciorascu (OM) def. Eleazar Magallon (UF) 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3; Claes Lindholm (OM) def. Eduardo Pacheco (ARK) 6-1, 6-0; Peter Richman (LSU) def. Catalin Gard (OM) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4); Andrew Colombo (AU) def. Patrick Chucri (OM) 7-6(3), 7-5. Third round - Hartman (OM) def. Karim Benmansour (UK) 6-2, 6-4; Ciorascu (OM) def. Olivier Levant (UF) 7-5, 2-6, 7-6(5).
DOUBLES
First round -- Hartman-Lindholm (OM) def. Tom Eklund-Marcus Westland (USC) 8-5; Levant- Magallon (UF) def. Ciorascu-Gard (OM) 8-4. Second round -- Cory Ross-Sebastien Rutka (LSU) def. Chucri-Alayli (OM) 9-8(4).
