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No. 19 Rebels down Troy 6-1 in Home Opener
1/19/2016 | Men's Tennis
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OXFORD, Miss. -- Temperatures hovered in the high 20s to low 30s for much of the day Tuesday, but inside at the Gillom Sports Center, the No. 19 ranked Ole Miss men's tennis team was on fire from the start and never let up, downing Troy 6-1 to begin the season 1-0.
The Rebels took the doubles point with a shutout on court two and a tiebreaker on three. Freshman Fabian Fallert and sophomore Grey Hamilton fed off each others energy and dominated 6-0 at No. 2. Both the matches on courts one and three went to tiebreakers, but senior Stefan Lindmark and junior Ricardo Jorge were able to come away with a 7-6(3) win at No. 3 to clinch the point.
In singles, the Rebels took all three first sets in a commanding fashion. The Trojans battled back at the beginning of the second sets, before Filip Kraljevic, Stefan Lindmark and Gustav Hansson finished them off in straight sets for the win. Two more wins in the lower half of the lineup from Ricardo Jorge and Fabian Fallert provided the final 6-1 score.
New No. 1...
For the first time in four years a new player roamed court one Tuesday. After four-time All-American Nik Scholtz graduated, it was time for senior captain Stefan Lindmark to take his turn in the spotlight, and he delivered. After teaming with Ricardo Jorge to secure the opening point, Lindmark defeated Troy's Daniel Bustamante 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 singles to make it 3-0 Rebels.
There's a New Kid in Town Part One...
Playing in his first dual match as a Rebel, freshman Filip Kraljevic showed fans why he will be fun to watch over the next four years. Kraljevic downed Troy's Andy Lau 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3 singles to make it 2-0 Rebels.
Hansson the Player Clinches Match...
Sophomore Gustav Hansson sat out the doubles, and then took care of business in singles, topping Giovani Samaha 6-1, 7-5 at No. 2 singles to clinch the Rebel victory. Samaha reached the ITA Southern Regional semifinals in the fall.
There's a New Kid in Town Part Two...
After a dominating display in doubles, freshman Fabian Fallert was equally energized in his singles match, winning at No. 5 singles 7-6(0), 6-2 against Troy's Filip Mansson.
Quoting Head Coach Toby Hansson...
"Great way to start the season. We were challenged in the doubles, but we responded after being up 5-2 at No. 1 and not getting it. Stefan and Ricardo did a good job of closing out the point. We did a good job right out of the gates in singles playing focused tennis and winning some easy sets. When we got challenged a little at the beginning of the second sets, we answered and finished them off to close out the match. The top three set the tone for the guys coming in at four, five and six. Overall I am really pleased with the way the guys performed today."
On the play of the Freshmen...
"They deserve to have success, because they have put in the work. They are very excited to play the team matches and you could see that today."
Filip Kraljevic on His First Home Match...
"In the beginning of doubles I was a little nervous, but Zvonimir (Babic) helped me out. In the end we lost a tight match. In singles I felt great from the beginning. I feel like I played pretty well most of the match. There were a couple of games where I gave away some free points, but overall it was a good first match for me. Great start for us to get the first win."
Fabian Fallert on His Debut...
"This was a very special day for me. Normally in tournaments, we just play for ourselves, but here it's nice to always have a team supporting you. I enjoyed my first match a lot. I love playing doubles with Grey, because we both have similar (loud) body language and feed off each other. We have good chemistry. In singles, I knew if I just stuck to my game plan, my chance would come and it did. I had a lot of fun today, but hopefully we can get more people to come when school is back in session."
Next up...
The Rebels travel to Austin, Texas this weekend for the ITA Kickoff. They will face No. 17 Texas Tech in the first round Saturday at 1 p.m. The winner will meet either Texas or Florida with a berth in the National Team Indoor on the line.
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
