After coming in as part of a historic LSU women’s tennis recruiting class, LSU freshman Gabby Otero fell 4-3 in her first match as a Tiger.
Otero lost competing in the 2013 Coleman Vision Tennis Championship, which is a United States Tennis Association pro circuit event. Otero received a wild card to compete in the event and was the only tournament entrant representing LSU.
“If I hadn’t been decked out in my LSU gear, Gabby would’ve looked like a pro out there,” said LSU coach Julia Sell. “She put in a really good performance.”
Otero was a five-star recruit, according to the International Tennis Association and has been ranked as high as 23rd in the nation according to tennisrecruiting.net.
The LSU standout was beaten 6-4, 6-3 by Nicole Melichar, who has won $100,000 in her pro career despite only being 20 years old. Melichar chose to pursue a pro-career instead of playing collegiate tennis.
Otero struggled with Melichar’s powerful serve and that is what ultimately decided the match, Sell said.
“Gabby is very solid, she moves the ball exceptionally well she has great feel, she just needs to wait for opportunities to step up and control the point a little more,” Sell said. “She plays the defensive side of the game brilliantly, she just needs to look for her opportunities to play offense.”
During the fall season many of the LSU players will compete in individual tournaments before starting the team season in the spring.