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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
ITA National Indoors
Rebel Netter Wins Opening Match At ITA National Indoor
11/6/2003 | Men's Tennis
Nov. 6, 2003
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Ole Miss men's tennis player Catalin Gard won his opening round match at the ITA National Indoor Championships Thursday to advance to the second round in the second grand slam of the year.
Gard, ranked No. 10 in the nation and seeded sixth in the tournament, defeated 25th-ranked Conor Niland of California 6-4, 6-4. He will face 17th-ranked Benjamin Becker of Baylor in the second round Friday. With the win, Gard improved to 5-2 this fall.
"Cat played a great match against a very good opponent," assistant coach Jeff Clark said. "I was happy for him to be able to play two sets without suffering an injury. This tournament showcases the best players in the country, so the second round will be another tough match."
The ITA National Indoor features a 32-player draw in singles and a 16-team doubles field. Of the 32 players in the singles field, 15 are ranked in the preseason Top 25. Gard was one of six seeds to survive the first round. The top seed, Alex Vlaski of Washington, and the No. 7 seed, Jesse Witten (Kentucky) were eliminated.
ITA NATIONAL INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - Ann Arbor, Mich.
SINGLES
First round - Catalin Gard (OM) def. Conor Niland (CAL) 6-4, 6-4
