LSU men’s tennis was defeated by No. 7 Georgia 5-2 Friday in Baton Rouge, dropping the Tigers to 8-7 on the year.
The loss marks LSU’s sixth straight loss since starting SEC play, making them 0-6 in the conference.
The day started strong for the Bulldogs, as they took an early lead in doubles play. Chen Dong and Welsh Hotard started the matchup with the first loss, dropping 6-4. Julien Penzlin and George Stoupe fell in a close battle, losing 7-5 and securing the doubles point for the Bulldogs.
No. 48 pair Stefan Latinovic and Nick Watson faced off against No. 9 pair Ethan Quinn and Trent Bryde to wrap up doubles play, falling in dramatic fashion 7-5.
Success for the Bulldogs continued in singles play, with Benjamin Ambrosio losing in straight sets 6-2, 6-1. Dong, who is now ranked No. 92 after a stunning upset last week against No. 5 Connor Thompson, followed with another loss in straight sets, losing 6-4, 6-4 against No. 19 Philip Henning.
The match moved to Hotard, who came into the match with three consecutive ranked wins but dropped his match as well. Hotard lost 6-4, 7-5 and the Tigers officially lost the match at 4-0 but play continued.
Penzlin put the Tigers on the scoreboard, winning his match against No. 116 Teodor Giusca 7-5, 6-3, giving LSU their first point and win of the day. Stoupe followed Penzlin’s success with some of his own, securing a ranked win against No. 99 Blake Croyder 7-6(7-3), 7-5.
To round out the day, Latinovic faced No. 4 Ethan Quinn. Latinovic took the first set 6-3, and barely lost the second set 7-6(7-3) but couldn’t complete the upset and lost the tiebreaker 10-8, setting the final match score of 5-2 in favor of Georgia.
The loss against Georgia comes with little rest time, as the Tigers turn around for a doubleheader in Baton Rouge Sunday, facing No. 48 Alabama at noon and Alcorn State at 4:30 p.m.
With LSU dropping to No. 51 in the country, the matchup against No. 48 Alabama will be a close battle. The Tigers look to earn their first SEC win to break their losing streak, and Alabama may be the team to do so.
The Crimson Tide comes into the match with two ranked players, No. 83 Enzo Aguiard and No. 88 Filip Planinsek. They are 9-10 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
