.png&width=32&height=32&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saturday, January 25
Champaign, Ill.
6 PM
Ole Miss
3
vs
4
Michigan
Rebs Threaten but Drop Heartbreaker to No. 20 Michigan
1/25/2020 | Men's Tennis
Ole Miss nearly pulls off its second-straight Top 20 win Saturday
CHAMPAIGN, ILL. -- For the second straight match, the Ole Miss Men's Tennis fate rested on the results of a third-set tiebreaker, as the Rebels tested and nearly upset No. 20 Michigan in the ITA Kickoff final before ultimately falling 4-3 at the Atkins Tennis Center Saturday.
Ole Miss slips to 5-1 on the year, while Michigan improves to 4-1. The Wolverines will now advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships.
Junior Finn Reynolds nearly recorded his second consecutive ranked win, battling to a three-set tiebreaker with the Wolverines' Ondrej Styler, ranked No. 94 in the latest ITA/Oracle rankings, after pulling off the feat Friday against Illinois and their 61st-ranked player Zeke Clark.
After taking the first five points for some momentum in his first-set tiebreak, Reynolds picked up the 7-6 (1) opening set. Forced into a third set after falling 6-4 in the second, the battle began. Holding serve through the deuce point to pick up the opening game, Reynolds held again to stay ahead at 2-1.
Styler took the 4-3 set lead after placing a beautifully placed shot across court for the deciding point, and then carried that control into the next game, registering a 5-3 advantage.
Refusing to quit, Reynolds held serve once more, trimming the deficit to 5-4 and then breaking to even things at 5-5 after placing a backhand down the line on the deciding point. After firing a backhand that Styler hit way wide, Reynolds took control once more leading 6-5.
In keeping with the pattern of the set, Styler tied things once again and the two were forced into their second tiebreaker of the match to decide the fate of the contest. Tied as late as 3-3, Styler surged with an ace and a few misses from Reynolds to steal the set and spoil the threat.
No stranger to clinching, Reynolds has tallied five clinches during his first two seasons, including the upset of No. 4 Stanford as a first-semester freshman in 2018 to send the Rebels to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships, and was just inches from pulling off another.
After dropping the doubles point, the Rebels had to rally in singles, picking up a win on Court 6 from Friday's hero, sophomore Simon Junk, to get on the board. Junk cruised, not surrendering a point in the final game of his opener and winning the first three games of his second set, carrying over momentum from his Friday night thriller.
After sophomore Jan Soren Hain fell on Court 2, Michigan remained in control, up 3-1. Senior Tim Sandkaulen narrowed the margin with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at first singles- a match he maintained control through both sets. Sandkaulen, ranked No. 35, defeated No. 78 Andrew Fenty, marking his second ranked win of the 2019-20 campaign.
Setting up the possible clinch for Reynolds was freshman Nikola Slavic, who powered through his own first-set break 7-4 and picked up his second with relative ease at 6-3 to even the contest at 3-3.
AT THE NET WITH… HEAD COACH TOBY HANSSON
"What another incredible match today. It was very similar to yesterday's, we just came up a little short. The guys learned a lot about this team today and themselves, and we learned we can compete with with the very best… I see a lot of positives coming out of everybody, and they're starting to believe they're a good team… Right now, we just have to recover and get locked in for Friday. We are looking forward to getting back and playing in front of our home crowd."
RESULTS
NO. 20 MICHIGAN 4, OLE MISS 3
1. No. 35 T. Sandkaulen def. No. 78 A. Fenty (MICH), 6-3, 6-4
2. K. Siimar (MICH) def. J.S. Hain, 6-1, 6-2
3. No. 94 O. Styler (MICH) def. F. Reynolds, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (4)
4. N. Slavic def. C. Johnston (MICH), 7-6 (), 6-3
5. N. Beaty def. L. Engelhardt (MICH), 6-2, 6-1
6. S. Junk def. R. Fu (MICH), 6-2, 6-2
1. T. Sandkaulen/F. Reynolds vs. No. 5 A. Fenty/M. Siimar, 5-4 unfinished
2. O. Styler/C. Johnston def. L. Engelhardt/N. Slavic, 6-2
3. H. Brown/K. Siimar def. S. Junk/J.S. Hain, 6-1
UP NEXT
Ole Miss returns to Oxford, welcoming No. 14 Oklahoma State for a Friday Night Showdown in the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center. It will be a popcorn bar, with a variety of flavors and toppings provided. The match is part of a SEC/Big 12 Weekend, with the women's squad also hosting a pair of Big 12 foes in Baylor and Texas Tech.
-------------------------------
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.
Ole Miss slips to 5-1 on the year, while Michigan improves to 4-1. The Wolverines will now advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships.
Junior Finn Reynolds nearly recorded his second consecutive ranked win, battling to a three-set tiebreaker with the Wolverines' Ondrej Styler, ranked No. 94 in the latest ITA/Oracle rankings, after pulling off the feat Friday against Illinois and their 61st-ranked player Zeke Clark.
After taking the first five points for some momentum in his first-set tiebreak, Reynolds picked up the 7-6 (1) opening set. Forced into a third set after falling 6-4 in the second, the battle began. Holding serve through the deuce point to pick up the opening game, Reynolds held again to stay ahead at 2-1.
Styler took the 4-3 set lead after placing a beautifully placed shot across court for the deciding point, and then carried that control into the next game, registering a 5-3 advantage.
Refusing to quit, Reynolds held serve once more, trimming the deficit to 5-4 and then breaking to even things at 5-5 after placing a backhand down the line on the deciding point. After firing a backhand that Styler hit way wide, Reynolds took control once more leading 6-5.
In keeping with the pattern of the set, Styler tied things once again and the two were forced into their second tiebreaker of the match to decide the fate of the contest. Tied as late as 3-3, Styler surged with an ace and a few misses from Reynolds to steal the set and spoil the threat.
No stranger to clinching, Reynolds has tallied five clinches during his first two seasons, including the upset of No. 4 Stanford as a first-semester freshman in 2018 to send the Rebels to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships, and was just inches from pulling off another.
After dropping the doubles point, the Rebels had to rally in singles, picking up a win on Court 6 from Friday's hero, sophomore Simon Junk, to get on the board. Junk cruised, not surrendering a point in the final game of his opener and winning the first three games of his second set, carrying over momentum from his Friday night thriller.
After sophomore Jan Soren Hain fell on Court 2, Michigan remained in control, up 3-1. Senior Tim Sandkaulen narrowed the margin with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at first singles- a match he maintained control through both sets. Sandkaulen, ranked No. 35, defeated No. 78 Andrew Fenty, marking his second ranked win of the 2019-20 campaign.
Setting up the possible clinch for Reynolds was freshman Nikola Slavic, who powered through his own first-set break 7-4 and picked up his second with relative ease at 6-3 to even the contest at 3-3.
AT THE NET WITH… HEAD COACH TOBY HANSSON
"What another incredible match today. It was very similar to yesterday's, we just came up a little short. The guys learned a lot about this team today and themselves, and we learned we can compete with with the very best… I see a lot of positives coming out of everybody, and they're starting to believe they're a good team… Right now, we just have to recover and get locked in for Friday. We are looking forward to getting back and playing in front of our home crowd."
RESULTS
NO. 20 MICHIGAN 4, OLE MISS 3
1. No. 35 T. Sandkaulen def. No. 78 A. Fenty (MICH), 6-3, 6-4
2. K. Siimar (MICH) def. J.S. Hain, 6-1, 6-2
3. No. 94 O. Styler (MICH) def. F. Reynolds, 6-7 (1), 6-4, 7-6 (4)
4. N. Slavic def. C. Johnston (MICH), 7-6 (), 6-3
5. N. Beaty def. L. Engelhardt (MICH), 6-2, 6-1
6. S. Junk def. R. Fu (MICH), 6-2, 6-2
1. T. Sandkaulen/F. Reynolds vs. No. 5 A. Fenty/M. Siimar, 5-4 unfinished
2. O. Styler/C. Johnston def. L. Engelhardt/N. Slavic, 6-2
3. H. Brown/K. Siimar def. S. Junk/J.S. Hain, 6-1
UP NEXT
Ole Miss returns to Oxford, welcoming No. 14 Oklahoma State for a Friday Night Showdown in the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center. It will be a popcorn bar, with a variety of flavors and toppings provided. The match is part of a SEC/Big 12 Weekend, with the women's squad also hosting a pair of Big 12 foes in Baylor and Texas Tech.
-------------------------------
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.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Andrew Fenty / 0 [MICH]
34
#2 Singles Match
12
12
Kristofer Siimar / 0 [MICH]
66
#3 Singles Match
123
746
Ondrej Styler / 0 [MICH]
667
#4 Singles Match
12
76
Connor Johnston / 0 [MICH]
63
#5 Singles Match
12
21
Nick Beaty / 0 [MICH]
66
#6 Singles Match
12
66
Ryan Fu / 0 [MICH]
22
Order of Finish:
5,6,2,1,4,3
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Loan Lestir Caps Men's Tennis Comeback at Memphis (1/17/2025)
Friday, January 17
Nik Scholtz:On Selection for Davis Cup
Wednesday, October 08
Men's Tennis UGA & UT Preview
Wednesday, October 08
2012 NCAA Tournament Selection Special
Wednesday, October 08