The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
MLK Invitational
Babic/Kraljevic Doubles Champions at MLK Invitational
1/17/2016 | Men's Tennis
ATLANTA - The No. 19 ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team concluded play at the MLK Invitational Sunday with sophomore Zvonimir Babic and freshman Filip Kraljevic winning the doubles title with a 3-0 record on the weekend.
The Rebels finished the weekend with 15 wins total in singles and doubles against top competition from No. 43 Georgia Tech, No. 7 Georgia and No. 2 Oklahoma.
Kraljevic/Babic Finish Weekend Undefeated in Doubles…
In 2014, the Rebels lost the doubles point in practically half their matches, but after this weekend, they may have found some pairings to reverse that stat this year. Kraljevic and Babic led the way, including recording a top 10 win on Saturday. In their final match of the weekend, the Croatian duo defeated Oklahoma's Axel Alvarez and Spencer Papa 7-5. Freshman Fabian Fallert won three German National Championships in doubles and one can see why. He and sophomore Grey Hamilton finished 2-1 and their only loss was in a tiebreaker. On Sunday, they downed Alex Ghilea and Andre Biro of Oklahoma 6-1.
Results
Filip Kraljevic/Zvonimir Babic (OM) def. Axel Alvarez Llamas/Spencer Papa (OU) 7-5
Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (OM) def. Alex Ghilea/Andre Biro (OU) 6-1
Florin Bragusi/Austin Siegel (OU) def. Stefan Lindmark/Gustav Hansson (OM) 7-5
Lindmark, Gowda Win in Singles…
In singles, 36th-ranked Stefan Lindmark defeated No. 92 ranked Alex Ghilea 7-5, 6-3 to finish 2-1 for the weekend. Vinod Gowda earned a straight set win against John Milstead, 6-1, 6-1. Gustav Hansson lost in three sets to Oklahoma's Axel Alvarez, who was ranked No. 1 last year and Fabian Fallert also lost a tight three-setter to Andre Biro.
Results
#60 Axel Alvarez Llamas (OU) def. Gustav Hansson (OM) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Spencer Papa (OU) def. Filip Kraljevic (OM) 6-1, 6-3
#36 Stefan Lindmark (OM) def. #92 Alex Ghilea (OU) 7-5, 6-3
Florin Braguski (OU) def. Grey Hamilton (OM) 6-1, 6-3
Andre Biro (OU) def. Fabian Fallert (OM) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Austin Siegel (OU) def. Ricardo Jorge (OM) 7-5, 7-5
Vinod Gowda (OM) def. John Milstead (OU) 6-1, 6-1
Quoting Head Coach Toby Hansson…
"We had a great weekend. We were able to get a lot of good matches against top competition, which gave us a solid indicator of where we stand early in the season. This will help prepare us for the upcoming dual matches. The guys showed this weekend, that when we compete hard and play our best, we can play with anybody in the country."
On the Doubles…
"Zvonimir and Filip played great in doubles all weekend as did the other teams. I am very excited with the improvement we've made in doubles. We have skilled doubles players and we've been working hard in practice to find the right combinations that will help us win the point."
Next up…
Ole Miss fans can get their first look at the 2016 team, as they host Troy Tuesday in their first dual match of the season. Action begins at the Gillom Sports Center at 4 p.m., and admission is free.
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
