The Ole Miss men’s tennis team is in Columbia, South Carolina this week for the 2016 SEC Men’s Tennis Championship. The Rebels earned the No. 9 seed and will face No. 8 seed Alabama in the second round Thursday at 1 p.m. CT.
The Rebels concluded the regular season with a 14-9 overall record, 5-7 in the SEC. Gustav Hansson finished 9-3 in the SEC to lead the Rebels.
Last time out…
Ole Miss is coming off a tough loss to No. 6 Georgia at home on senior day. The Bulldogs were able to win the doubles point and take the top two courts on their way to a 4-0 win, with No. 24 Austin Smith snapping Hansson’s eight-match win streak in singles.
Scouting Alabama…
Alabama finished regular season play with a 4-2 loss to Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide now stands at 14-12 overall and also finished 5-7 in the SEC. In the latest rankings, Korey Lovett and Mazen Osama moved up 2 spots to No. 4 in doubles, while Osama moved to 50 in singles and Lovett to the No. 79 spot.
The Winner Gets…
The winner of the second round match will face No. 1 seed Georgia at 1 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.
Rebels vs. Crimson Tide…
In the last meeting on April 3, Ole Miss dropped a tight 4-3 match to Alabama in Oxford. Alabama has won the last three meetings.
Rebels at SEC Championship…
Last year in the SEC Championship, the Rebels earned a first round bye and then advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 win against Vanderbilt. It marked the 16th time for the Rebels to advance to the SEC Championship semifinals. Georgia held off the Rebels to win 4-1 in the semifinals.
(Photo by: Evan Turner)
Zvonimir Babic celebrates after beating Wood Benton 6-3, 6-4 on court six against South Carolina this weekend. Babic improved his record to 10-1 in dual matches, 5-1 in the SEC, and has also won seven in a row.
National Rankings…
The Rebels are ranked No. 29 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Rankings. Sophomore Gustav Hansson moved up to No. 47 in singles and senior Stefan Lindmark is up to No. 51. In doubles, Zvonimir Babic and Filip Kraljevic are ranked No. 28.
Kraljevic Named to SEC Community Service Team…
Freshman Filip Kraljevic was named to the SEC Community Service Team Tuesday. Kraljevic has participated in Holiday Cards for Hermitage, Reading at Lafayette Elementary School and the South Carolina Drive for Flood Disaster Relief.
Quoting Head Coach Toby Hansson…
“We are excited to begin the SEC Championship. We are playing some good tennis right now and looking forward to the rematch with Alabama. The last match could have gone either way; it was just a few points from being in our favor.”
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.
