Owen PustellA stunning comeback performance by Finn Reynolds and Lukas Engelhardt set the tone as the Ole Miss Men’s Tennis Team handled business against the No. 22 Sooners in a tough early season test.
Reynolds and Engelhardt were down 4-1 early, but rallied back to win the match 6-4 and secure a point for the Rebels. A pair of singles victories also helped propel the Rebels to victory as John Hallquist Lithén pulled off a huge upset by defeating No. 49 Mark Mandlik of Oklahoma, and No. 28 Nikola Slavic crushed No. 31 Mason Beiler in the heavyweight match of the night.
While the No. 18 Ole Miss squad was technically the favorite, winning in such a dominant fashion 4-1 (with two matches unfinished due to score) was not expected. With their next test being the championship game against North Carolina State, the team should be seeing a jump in the rankings with a victory.
This win caps off a perfect Saturday for Ole Miss Tennis, as the women’s team also scored a 4-1 victory in semi-final tournament play, setting up an important Sunday for the program.
Beating Oklahoma puts the Rebels at 4-0, keeping their perfect record intact. This season looks to be an impressive bounceback campaign after their 2020-2021 record was a mediocre 13-11.
Look for the Rebels to enter SEC play hot on March 6 as they open the season at home against Tennessee.
Full Results
Doubles
- Finn Reynolds/Lukas Engelhardt (OM) def. Alex Martinez/Welsh Hotard (OU), 6-4
- Mark Mandlik/Baptiste Anselmo (OU) vs. Nikola Slavic/Simon Junk (OM), 5-4 (unfinished)
- John Hallquist Lithén/Jakob Cadonau def. Mason Beiler/Nathan Han (OU), 6-3
Singles
- No. 28 Nikola Slavic def. No. 31 Mason Beiler (OU), 6-1, 6-2
- Alex Martinez (OU) def. No. 44 Finn Reynolds, 6-3, 6-3
- John Hallquist Lithén def. No. 49 Mark Mandlik (OU), 6-3, 6-3
- No. 54 Jordan Hasson vs. Lukas Engelhardt, 7-6 (3), 2-3 (unfinished)
- Simon Junk vs. Justin Schlageter (OU), 6-2, 5-5 (unfinished)
- Jan Soren Hain def. Welsh Hotard (OU), 6-1, 6-1
