Ole Miss Tennis Falls to OSU in NCAA First Round
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Ole Miss Athletics) — Ole Miss Men’s Tennis dropped its postseason contest Friday, falling to No. 25 Oklahoma State at the LA Tennis Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 4-1. The loss snaps a streak of 25 first-round NCAA victories.
Competition started with the doubles point, where the veteran duo of Fabian Fallert and Filip Kraljevic made things interesting on Court 1. Taking on the 36th-ranked duo of Scaglia/Tybar, the Rebels rallied to take three straight games and carry the momentum, but their court would be left unfinished as the Cowboys did their own rallying, picking up three straight games on Court 3 to steal the 7-5 win from junior Tim Sandkaulen and freshman Jan Soren Hain.
The Rebels broke onto the scoreboard courtesy of Fallert, who cruised through his opening set, taking five straight games, before winning via identical 6-2, 6-2 decisions. The veteran will exit Ole Miss with 136 career wins; 65 in singles and 71 in doubles.
After wins on Courts 2 and 5, the Cowboys took a 3-1 lead and with battles brewing on the remaining three courts. On Court 6, Wilson picked up three straight games to take a 3-1 lead in the opening set, and battled again in the second to a 3-3 tie before dropping the finale 6-3, 6-3, handing the Pokes their revenge victory.
Sandkaulen battled through both sets with the Cowboys’ highest-ranked player, Matej Vocel, coming to 3-3 and 5-5 ties in the first set and was holding serve up 4-3 in the second when the match was clinched.
Sandkaulen’s season continues, as he will participate in the 2019 NCAA Singles Championship, beginning May 20 in Orlando, Fla.
RESULTS
1. F. Fallert/F. Kraljevic vs. #36 M. Scaglia/M. Tybar (OSU), 4-5,unfinished
2. #41 E. Hudd/M. Vocel (OSU) def. S. Junk/C. Wilson, 6-1
3. A. Dubinski/L. Hammond (OSU) def. T. Sandkaulen/J.S. Hain, 7-5
1. #52 T. Sandkaulen vs. #34 M. Vocel (OSU), 5-7, 4-3, unfinished
2. A. Dubinski (OSU) def. F. Kraljevic, 6-3, 6-1
3. F. Fallert def. M. Scaglia (OSU), 6-2, 6-2
4. S. Junk vs. M. Tybar (OSU), 3-6, 4-5, unfinished
5. E. Hudd (OSU) def. J.S. Hain, 6-3, 6-1
6. L. Hammond def. C. Wilson, 6-3, 6-3
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