LSU’s top-ranked men’s tennis player, junior Chris Simpson, was eliminated today from the Southeastern Conference Fall Classic after advancing to the semifinals. 
The sophomore, who is ranked No. 29 in the nation, was defeated in straight sets by the No. 67 player in the nation, Harrison Adams of Texas A&M. 
Simpson will attempt to parlay some of his momentum into a strong performance at the International Tennis Association All-American event, according to coach Jeff Brown. 
“[Simpson] had a good tournament, and he was just outplayed today,” Brown said in a news release. “He will carry a great deal of confidence into the All-American event.”
Simpson got to the semifinal by running a gauntlet of conference opponents from Texas A&M and Florida. 
On Saturday, Simpson defeated No. 56 Shane Vinsant of Texas A&M in straight sets in the quarterfinal match. 
Brown said Simpson’s superior conditioning played a big part in the victory, as the match was Simpson’s fourth of the tournament to that point. 
“At this point in the tournament, fitness can be the difference, and Chris Simpson has himself physically and mentally fit,” Brown said.
On Friday, Simpson defeated A&M’s Frankie Colunga and Florida’s Florent Diep. The match against Diep was particularly spirited as both sets went into tiebreakers before Simpson was able to pull out the victory. 
“[Simpson] played a mature match against a talented opponent,” coach Jeff Brown said. “It is good to seem him rewarded for his practice habits.”
The Tigers were also successful in the doubles portion of the tournament. 
The Tigers’ unranked duo of Simpson and freshman Boris Arias pulled off a shocking upset of the No. 4 pairing in the nation composed of Kentucky’s Tom Jomby and Kevin Lai. 
Simpson and Arias defeated the Kentucky duo 8-6, but the result wasn’t all that unexpected, according to Brown. 
“Chris Simpson and Boris Arias were playing well together at the end of last season, so this was not unexpected,” Brown said. “Overall, the team played hard, and we saw some good things.”
The duo then prevailed over Hayes Brewer and Stuart Kenyon of Alabama in the next round before their run was ended Saturday, falling to the No. 13 pairing in the nation of Ryan Lipman and Gonzales Austin from Vanderbilt. 
Simpson and Arias didn’t go down without a fight, though. They were able to bring the match into a tiebreaker before falling 8-7(2). 
The Tigers will continue the fall season Sept. 28 at the ITA All-American event held in Tulsa, Okla.