The LSU men’s tennis team concluded its fall season this weekend at the 2013 Bulldog Scramble hosted by Georgia. In round robin format, the Tigers played six teams throughout the weekend.
LSU won 11 of 25 singles matches and 6 of 9 doubles matches in Athens.
“We won a bunch this weekend and it should help with our confidence and enthusiasm to work hard over the next two months,” said men’s tennis coach Jeff Brown in a news release.
The Tigers’ doubles teams shined in Friday’s opening round with victories in all three matches. Sophomore Tam Trinh and freshman Eric Perez highlighted the morning with a 6-5 (2) upset against Georgia’s Ben Wagland and Hernus Pieters, the No. 2 doubles team in the country.
Junior Chris Simpson and sophomore Boris Arias handed Vanderbilt’s Ryan Smith and Rhys Johnson their first loss of the scramble with a 6-4 win, and sophomore Andrew Korinek and freshman Justin Butsch beat Furman’s Joel Cook and Juan Sheppard 6-3 to keep the Tigers’ doubles teams perfect on day one.
In singles, Simpson and Korinek were the only LSU players to remain undefeated going into round two.
On the doubles courts, the momentum carried into day two. Simpson and Arias defeated Furman’s Jacob Behal and Ben Horst 6-3. Trinh and Perez also earned their second victory of the weekend, defeating Vanderbilt’s Mason Vierra and Suresh Eswaran 6-3.
Butsch came away with the Tigers’ only second round singles victory, beating Horst 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 as LSU finished 1-6 in singles Saturday.
But on the final day of the fall season, the tables turned for the Tigers as LSU won four singles matches and only one doubles match.
The Tigers were 2-0 against Vanderbilt in the final round Sunday as Butsch cruised past Smith 6-1, 6-2 and Korinek held off Kris Yee 6-1, 7-6.
Both Trinh and Perez took their Furman foes into the third set in singles. After dropping the first set 4-6, Trinh won the second set 6-4 and prevailed in the final set 6-3 against Behal to complete the comeback. The fall season ended differently for Perez who fell to Horst 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Arias capped his fall campaign by beating Furman’s Cook in straight sets 6-4, 7-6.
The lone doubles duo to win in the final day of action was Trinh and Perez. The pair defeated Furman’s Cook and Sheppard 6-2 in the one-set match, bringing the doubles weekend win total to six.
The Tigers return to action Jan. 5 at the Key Biscayne Collegiate Invitational in Key Biscayne, Fla.