No. 21 Men's Tennis Continues to Rewrite History
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — For the first time since 1988, the Arkansas men’s tennis team defeated Ole Miss. The No. 21 Razorbacks downed the Rebels by a score of 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Dills Indoor Courts to improve to 16-4 on the season and 5-2 in SEC competition.
After losing the doubles point, Arkansas bounced back to win the first four singles decisions and clinch the team match against Ole Miss. With the loss, the Rebels fell to 7-7 on the year, including 2-5 against SEC opponents.
Santiago Munoz won his first three-set match of the year to earn the fourth point for the Razorbacks, defeating Filip Kraljevic at the No. 3 spot to send his teammates and the Easter Sunday crowd into a frenzy.
“This win says a lot because Ole Miss has been one of the premier programs for decades,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “We didn’t play our best match today but we dug deep and beat a really good team. I think it’s one of the more proud matches of the year because of what we overcame physically and emotionally.
“The clincher is always the hardest and Santiago dug hard to get over the finish line. But everyone on the team contributed, even the two guys who lost in singles extended their matches to third sets, which took some pressure off their teammates.”
QUICK HITS
• Arkansas has won two of its last three matches when losing the doubles point. The other such instance was against No. 7 Texas A&M on March 11, when the team came back to win 5-of-6 singles and the overall match 5-2.
• In singles, No. 114 Jose Salazar beat No. 87 Stefan Lindmark to improve to 10-2 at the No. 2 spot. Salazar has won six of his last seven matches overall, including four of his last five against ranked opponents.
• Santiago Munoz notched the clinching point for the Razorbacks to improve to 4-3 in SEC play. Each of Munoz’s last two victories have been the fourth and deciding point for Arkansas, with the last being at Auburn on March 20 in a 7-0 team win.
• At the No. 4 spot, Giammarco Micolani has been the hottest player on the court for Arkansas. Micolani extended his winning streak to six straight with a two-set victory over Fabian Fallert. Four of his last five wins have been in straight sets.
• Adam Sanjurjo improved to 3-0 at the No. 6 spot with a two-set win against Zvonimir Babic. Sanjurjo notched the first point of the day for the home team, as the Razorbacks improved to 3-0 with him at No. 6 singles.
• Micolani, No. 30 Mike Redlicki and Salazar are each 5-2 in SEC singles competition, which is tied for the team’s best mark. Overall, Arkansas boasts a 25-17 (.595) record among SEC singles competition.
UP NEXT
The Razorbacks have a split weekend ahead, with the team heading to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for a Friday, April 1 match against the Crimson Tide. Arkansas returns home Sunday, April 3 to face No. 24 Mississippi State at 1 p.m. and Saint Louis at 6 p.m. in a day-night doubleheader.
TODAY’S RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. No. 16 Giammarco Micolani/Mike Redlicki (AR) vs. No. 41 Zvonimir Babic/Filip Kraljevic (OM) 5-6, unfinished
2. Fabian Fallert/Grey Hamilton (OM) def. Jose Salazar/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-2
3. Gustav Hansson/Stefan Lindmark (OM) def. Santiago Munoz/Johan den Toom (AR) 7-5
SINGLES
1. No. 104 Gustav Hansson (OM) def. No. 30 Mike Redlicki (AR) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
2. No. 114 Jose Salazar (AR) def. No. 87 Stefan Lindmark (OM) 7-6 (5), 6-3
3. Santiago Munoz (AR) def. Filip Kraljevic (OM) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
4. Giammarco Micolani (AR) def. Fabian Fallert (OM) 6-2, 6-4
5. Grey Hamilton (OM) def. David Herrerias (AR) 6-4, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (10-7)
6. Adam Sanjurjo (AR) def. Zvonimir Babic (OM) 6-1, 6-4
ORDER OF FINISH
Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,2,3,1,5)
