The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
ITA All-American Championships (Main Draw)
Lutjen Earns Berth In ITA National Indoor
10/7/2012 | Men's Tennis
Oct. 7, 2012
TULSA, Okla. - Ole Miss men's tennis senior Jonas Lutjen picked up another piece of hardware Sunday, winning the ITA All-American consolation final with a straight set win over Ohio State's Connor Smith at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. With the win, Lutjen earned an automatic berth to the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in New York Nov. 3-6.
The final match had to be played indoors again due to cool temperatures. Lutjen won the first set and then the two battled in the second set before Lutjen got the break for the 6-3, 6-4 victory. It was his fifth win in a row after dropping a close first round match to Georgia's Nathan Pasha.
In the consolation round, Lutjen defeated five ranked players to improve his record to 13-2 this fall.
"It was a great tournament," Lutjen said. "I beat a lot of great players. I have to give a big thanks to coach (Toby) Hansson and our trainer, Ben (Angle). I look forward to building on the confidence of this week to make the fall a special one with the remaining tournaments."
"Winning the backdraw is a true testament to Jonas' excellent work ethic and never say die attitude," said associate head coach Toby Hansson. "It's always hard to play well in the finals in a pressured situation. Jonas didn't play at the same level as he did in previous matches, but he was able to overcome the adversity, keep his head held high and come out on top."
Next up for the Rebels will be the ITA Southern Region Championships in Oct. 18-22 in Auburn, Ala.
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ITA All-American Championships
Main Draw Consolation Singles
Final - Jonas Lutjen (OM) def. Connor Smith (OSU) 6-3, 6-4.
