Rebels Drop Close Contest to No. 21 Alabama in SEC Second Round

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --  A five-match win streak over the Alabama Crimson Tide was halted Friday, as Ole Miss Men's Tennis dropped a 3-4 heartbreaker at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Center in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

The match came down to a trio of three-set battles on Courts 2, 3, and 6 after things looked off to a hot start for Ole Miss, courtesy of the doubles clinch.

The Rebels took a critical advantage, picking up the point thanks to wins on Courts 2 and 3. After the top-ranked pair of senior Fabian Fallert and sophomore Finn Reynolds succumbed to defeat on Court 1, the young duo of freshman Simon Junk and sophomore Cotter Wilson prevailed 6-4, setting up veterans Filip Kraljevic and Tim Sandkaulen on Court 2.

The two were locked in a 5-5 stalemate with the Tide before rallying to take the final two games and give Ole Miss a 1-0 lead.

In singles play, Sandkaulen continued his impressive play of the Tide's top-ranked Mazen Osama this season, taking a 3-0 lead in the opening set before securing the advantage at 6-2. Sandkaulen had outlasted Osama in both of their previous meetings this season and delivered a valiant effort before falling in three sets.

Alabama evened the score with a win on Court 5, but the stalemate was short lived thanks to sharp play from Junk after picking up reassurance taking his opener 6-4 over Kaukovalta, who spent time this season in the ITA Singles Rankings. He then put the Rebels back in the lead, after rallying back to a 5-5 tie and picking up the final two games to give Ole Miss its first singles point of the match.

An injury to Kraljevic forced a shift in the Rebels lineup, welcoming back freshman Jan Soren Hain in the six spot.

Left knotted at 2-2, things came down to a pair of three-set decisions from Fallert and Reynolds, and Hain attempting to force his own, reaching 6-6 battles in both sets and forcing tiebreakers, including extra points in the opener.

Fallert emerged victoriously with a 7-5 first set and continued with momentum, taking the first two games of Set 2. Usually in a clinch role, he found himself in a bit of a different role Thursday, powering through a third set where he led by at least two games the entire set to put Ole Miss back in control 3-2.

The Tide tied things up once again after Reynolds fell in a hard-fought 5-7 third set, all eyes turning to Court 6. Hain delivered a 7-3 tiebreak to force a third set, but was unable to regain control, ultimately falling 2-6.

UP NEXT
The Rebels will now wait to see if they earn a spot as a team in the NCAA Tournament during the selection show on Monday, April 29 at 5:00 p.m. CT. On April 30, the NCAA will announce which athletes will be invited to the NCAA Individual Championships.

RESULTS
1. #13 P. Kaukovalta/M. Osama (BAMA) def. #43 F. Fallert/F. Reynolds, 6-3
2. #50 F. Kraljevic/T. Sandkaulen def. E. Ortiz/R. Roberto (BAMA), 7-5
3. S. Junk/C. Wilson def. S. Fischer/Z. Zhou (BAMA), 6-4

1. #46 M. Osama (BAMA) def. #70 T. Sandkaulen, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0
2. F. Fallert def. E. Ortiz (BAMA), 7-5, 4-6, 6-2
3. R. Roberto (BAMA) def. F. Reynolds, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
4. S. Junk def. P. Kaukovalta (BAMA), 6-4, 7-5
5. Z. Zhou (BAMA) def. C. Wilson, 6-3, 6-2
6. J. Gschwendtner (BAMA) def. J.S. Hain, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (3), 6-2

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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.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Fabian Fallert

Jan Soren Hain

Simon Junk

Filip Kraljevic

Finn Reynolds

Tim Sandkaulen

Cotter Wilson