The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Vanderbilt
Rebels Earn Road Win at Vanderbilt
4/10/2016 | Men's Tennis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Every match in the SEC has been a battle this year and Sunday was no different, but the Ole Miss men's tennis team secured the doubles point and won three of the four three-setters in singles for a 5-2 win at Vanderbilt.
Rain delayed the start of the match a little over an hour, but when play finally began, the Rebels took control early to win the doubles point.
Zvonimir Babic and Filip Kraljevic came into Sunday's match looking for another ranked win, and they got it, beating 16th-ranked Rhys Johnson and Cameron Klinger 6-3 at No. 1. Stefan Lindmark and Gustav Hansson followed with a 6-2 win at No. 3 to give the Rebels the 1-0 lead.
Babic made quick work of Alex Ross on court six, 6-3, 6-3, to make it 2-0 Ole Miss, but the remaining matches were all very tight.
Vanderbilt answered when Klinger won a second-set tiebreaker to defeat Lindmark 6-1, 7-6 at No. 2 singles.
The remaining four matches went three sets, and the Rebels had dropped the first set in three of them. Freshman Fabian Fallert rallied to defeat Vanderbilt senior Kris Yee 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 on court five to hand the Rebels a 3-1 lead.
Hansson, ranked No. 62 in the nation, delivered again for the Rebels, knocking off 37th-ranked Daniel Valent 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 1 singles to clinch the victory.
Vanderbilt won on court four and then Kraljevic finished off his match 6-4 in the third against Rhys Johnson for the final 5-2 score.
Notables…
• Ole Miss improved to 13-8 overall, 4-6 in the SEC.
• The Rebels have now won four in a row against Vanderbilt.
• The win marks the second SEC road win of the season for the Rebels.
• Gustav Hansson improved to 22-8 overall, 13-4 in dual matches and 8-2 in the SEC. He has now won seven in a row.
• Gustav Hansson has now clinched four wins this year for the Rebels.
• Zvonimir Babic improved to 9-1 in dual matches, 4-1 in the SEC. He has won six in a row.
• Gustav Hansson and Stefan Lindmark improved to 7-2 in dual matches and 6-2 in the SEC.
Quoting Head Coach Toby Hansson…
"What a great day for the Rebels! It was a great match. Playing Vanderbilt on the road is never easy, and it was their senior day. They had a good crowd and they were into it. We are very pleased with the effort from the guys and the way we are playing right now."
On the doubles point…
"That is the best we've played in doubles all season. Everybody played great. Gus and Slick continue to play well at three and then Filip and Z won a big match at one. We sometimes take them for granted, but Fabi and Grey keep playing well at two. They've been a rock for us at that spot."
On momentum swings in singles…
"The match turned early in singles, as they were winning most of the first sets. Huge win by Z in straight sets to put us up 2-0. I can't say enough about the guys hanging around and continuing to fight. Fabi was down a set and a break. All the guys who lost their first sets were able to hang in there and turn around the second sets. It was really nice to see those guys get the second sets and switch the momentum back in our favor. The guys stepped up. Gus picked up another great win, and the freshmen did a great job closing out their matches."
Up next...
The Rebels return home to host South Carolina and Georgia next weekend at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
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
