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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Hansson Knocks off Top 10 Player at All-American
10/7/2017 | Men's Tennis
TULSA, Okla. - Ole Miss men's tennis senior Gustav Hansson defeated the No. 10 ranked player in the nation to reach the quarterfinals at the Saint Francis Health System ITA All-American Championships Saturday, before bowing out to the No. 1 ranked player in two tight sets.
Top 10 win for Hansson…
In the first match of the day, 14th-ranked Hansson took out 10th-ranked Skander Mansouri of Wake Forest in three sets to reach the quarterfinals for the first time at the All-American.
Hansson got broken in the fifth game of the first set and then again in the seventh game as Mansouri won it 6-2. Mansouri gained a break in the second set to go up 4-3, but Hansson broke right back and later saved break points. The two ultimately went to a tiebreak, where Hansson jumped out to a 6-3 lead and held on to win it 7-6(5) to force a third set. In the final set, Hansson broke Mansouri in the third game and then saved a break point for a 5-3 lead. He held his final service game for 6-4 and the win.
Re-match in quarterfinals…
After a short break, Hansson went back on court to face No. 1 ranked Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State in the quarterfinals. Hansson got broken to start the match on a deciding point. After missing some chances to break back, he finally did for 4-4, but Torpegaard broke again and served it out 6-4.
In the second set, Hansson had break points early, but couldn't convert, and then was broken at 3-3. Torpegaard served it out for 6-4 to advance to the semifinals.
This was the third meeting between the two All-Americans. They first met in the 2016 NCAA Championships and then again last year in the third round of the All-American Championships.
By virtue of reaching the quarterfinals at the year's first major, Hansson earned a spot in the Oracle ITA Fall Championships to be played Nov. 1-5 in Indian Wells, California.
Quoting assistant coach Devin Britton…
"Gus played some very good tennis this week overall. He started a little slow in the first match today, but he was able to hang in there and come up with some shots in the big moments. A top-10 win is never easy to come by so I was very pleased with that result.
"He had to bounce back with not a lot of rest against the No. 1 player in the country this afternoon. The match featured tough physical points and a very high level of tennis. He had some break chances in the first and second set that he wasn't able to capitalize on, but overall it was a great week of tennis for Gus. I've seen a lot of progress from him over the last year and that is the most exciting part. He will continue to work hard and make the most of his senior year."
Up next…
The Rebels will be back in action Oct. 19-23 at the ITA Southern Regional Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Results...
Round of 16 - #14 Gustav Hansson (OM) def. #10 Skander Mansouri (WF) 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
Quarterfinals - #1 Mikael Torpegaard (OSU) def. #14 Hansson (OM) 6-4, 6-4
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
