NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A close, high-level duel in the first match of the day highlighted the Belmont University men's tennis team's home doubleheader with 60th-ranked Ole Miss Saturday at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex. Stepping out of Horizon League play and hosting the Southeastern Conference's Rebels (12-14), the Bruins (9-9) won the coveted doubles point and nearly claimed multiple singles victories in the opener.
Only singles were contested in the second match as Belmont was forced to forfeit two points due to injuries. Nationally-ranked Ole Miss took both matches by scores of 4-1 and 4-0, respectively.
The tandem of senior
Tomas Luis and junior
Gabriel Sardo prevailed in a 7-3 tiebreaker against the Rebels' Noah Schlagenhauf and Isac Strömberg on court three to secure the doubles point for the Bruins in the afternoon match. Junior
Ian Cruz and senior
Alfred Wallin, the reigning Horizon League Doubles Team of the Week, gave Belmont its first doubles win of the day at the No. 2 spot when they dismissed Ole Miss' Carson Baker and John Hallquist Lithén.
The Rebels' Lukas Engelhardt and Nikola Slavic, who are ranked 68th in the nation, were taken to a tiebreaker by junior
Ruben Busch and senior
Niklas von Hellens at the top doubles spot. The nationally-ranked pair edged Busch and von Hellens 7-3 in the breaker.
In singles action of the afternoon affair, Cruz looked destined for a win over Strömberg at the third spot but was unable to continue his match after taking the opening set 6-2. Ole Miss took a 2-1 lead in the match when Lithén topped Wallin 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles. Schlagenhauf made it 3-1 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Sardo at the fifth spot and Baker clinched the match for the Rebels with a 7-5, 6-4 triumph against Busch at the sixth spot.
When the match went final, both von Hellens at No. 4 singles and Luis at No. 1 singles were in three-set battles. Von Hellens won the first set versus Engelhardt 6-4 and was down 4-3 in the third, while Luis overcame a 6-2 set one loss to 50th-ranked Slavic with a 6-4 set two win.
Both Cruz and Busch were unavailable for the evening match and the Bruins had to start out trailing 2-0 with forfeits at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.
Wallin led nationally-ranked Slavic 6-5 at the top singles spot and von Hellens' match at the third position also went unfinished.
Ole Miss closed out the doubleheader with straight-set wins from Lithén at No. 2 singles and Schlagenhauf at No. 4 singles.
Up Next
Belmont wraps up the regular season next Saturday when the Bruins host Horizon League rival Tennessee Tech for senior day at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex. First serve from the Music City is slated for 1 p.m. The Horizon League Men's Tennis Championship takes place Friday-Sunday, April 26-28 at the Schwartz Tennis Center on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
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