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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Perfect on Day One of All-American
10/6/2016 | Men's Tennis
All-American Central
TULSA, Okla. - The year's first national championship event - the Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships - got underway Thursday with the first round of main draw singles and doubles, and the Ole Miss men's tennis team went two for two on the day.
"It was a great day for the Rebels," assistant coach Devin Britton said. "We got through a couple of really tough matches here in Tulsa. All the guys stepped up in the big moments when they needed it most. It was great to see."
Hansson wins in three to advance
Junior All-American Gustav Hansson, ranked No. 18 in the nation and seeded 9-16 in the 64-player singles draw, won a three-setter against Columbia's Shawn Hadavi, ranked No. 55. Hansson broke early in the opening set and held for 6-2. Hadavi won the second set 6-1 to force a winner take all third set. The two exchanged service holds until at 5-4 Hansson broke Hadavi for the win. Third sets are nothing new to Hansson, who owns a .636 winning percentage in three-setters throughout his career at Ole Miss.
"Gus came out strong from the first ball of the match," Britton said. "After the first set his opponent definitely picked up his level. Gus really dug deep in the third, and I am very proud of him for finding a way to get it done in the end. He continues to show why he is one of the top players in the country."
Hansson will face qualifier Lukas Finzelberg of Oklahoma State Friday at 9 a.m.
Babic/Kraljevic win third set breaker to move on
In the first round of doubles, Zvonimir Babic and Filip Kraljevic, ranked No. 6 and seeded 5-8, escaped Tulsa's Dominic Bechard and Francois Kellerman in a third set supertiebreaker. The match was a hotly contested affair from the first point to the last. Babic and Kraljevic overcame a break to take the first set 6-4. The two teams battled to a second set tiebreaker, and the Tulsa team edged out the Croatians 7-6(5) to set up the final supertiebreaker to decide the winner. After gaining a huge 9-3 lead, Babic and Kraljevic had to fend off a furious rally from Bechard and Kellerman, who closed to within two, before Babic and Kraljevic won the final point for 10-7 to advance.
"Z and Filip are great at finding a way to get it done," Britton said. "It's never easy to come in and beat a host team in their own environment. It was a competitive match from start to finish, and Z and Filip were able to step up in a big way in the supertiebreaker."
The second round will feature a top 10 showdown as Babic and Kraljevic will face Southern Cal's Nick Crystal and Laurens Verboven Friday at 1:30 p.m.
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.
