The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
ITF Futures
Rebel Freshman Reaches Main Draw at ITF Futures
11/3/2015 | Men's Tennis
Tournament Central
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Ole Miss men's tennis freshman Filip Kraljevic waited two days to finish his third round match in qualifying at the ITF Players' Choice Open, and when he did finally get on the court, he finished off a comeback win and then won in straight sets in the final round to reach the main draw at the Highland Park Tennis Center Tuesday.
Rain dampened the tournament over the weekend and into Monday, causing play to be delayed. When Kraljevic stepped on the court Tuesday morning to resume his match against UAB senior Stepan Vancurik (Czech Republic), he trailed a set. Kraljevic dominated the second set and then won the third for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory.
After a break, Kraljevic returned to the courts to face former Blue Chip recruit, Alabama sophomore Grayson Goldin, and didn't waste any time getting off the court 6-2, 6-2.
Kraljevic will face one of the top collegiate players in the main draw first round, Illinois senior Jared Hiltzik. Hiltzik, an All-American, is ranked No. 12 in collegiate tennis and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship last year.
On his way to the main draw, Kraljevic also defeated Tulsa's Or Ram-Harel, ranked No. 21 in college tennis, 6-2, 6-1.
"Filip beat some very good players on his way to the main draw," assistant coach Taylor Vaughn said. "I am impressed with the way he is carrying himself on the court and looking forward to him getting a shot in the main draw tomorrow."
After receiving a wildcard into the qualifying, sophomore Grey Hamilton had a solid tournament, reaching the third round of qualifying before dropping a tight match to Yannick Born, who played at MTSU. Hamilton was serving up 4-3 in the third, but Born reeled off three straight games for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. In the second round, Hamilton knocked off the No. 1 seed, Niclas Braun (Mississippi State).
"Grey did a great job in his first Future," Vaughn said. "He beat the No. 1 seed âˆ' who has a handful of ATP points âˆ' and is moving in the right direction."
The main draw will feature live scoring throughout the tournament, which can be found at itftennis.com.
For more information on Ole Miss Men's Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.
Players Mentioned
