In his first competitive match as a Tiger, freshman Sebastian Carlsson captured the Singles B Bracket title Sunday at the Courtyard by Marriott/Rice Invitational in Houston.
Carlsson collected three of LSU’s 11 singles wins as the men’s and women’s teams traveled to out-of-state tournaments to begin preseason play.
Associate coach Mark Booras said Carlsson shined for the Tigers throughout the weekend.
“[Carlsson] showed a lot of character today and over the weekend by coming from behind in his last two matches,” Booras said Sunday in a press release after Carlsson’s victory. “We look for him to build off this performance over the next couple of tournaments.”
LSU senior Kevin Dessauer, who is ranked No. 53 in the country, advanced to the Singles A Bracket finals but lost 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Southern Methodist’s David Kuczer. Dessauer won handily Friday beating Filip Zivojinovic of Rice, 6-1, 6-0. He defeated Will Gray of Tulsa 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 on Saturday to advance to the title match.
Dessauer is expected to fill the shoes of departed senior Danny Bryan, who led the team with 26 wins this past season.
“Everybody did a good job of rebounding today and competing hard,” Booras said in a news release following Saturday’s matches. “The conditions and competition were tough but they pulled through their matches today.”
Senior Colt Gaston and junior James Cluskey – who are ranked No. 9 nationally as a doubles pair – did not make the trip.
Their presence was missed as the Tigers went 3-3 in their doubles matches during the three-day tournament.
LSU stepped it up in singles play though finishing the event 9-3 this past weekend.
The women’s team traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., to open their preseason at the Gopher Invitational.
LSU sophomore Hannah Robinson led the Lady Tigers on Sunday with a victory in the consolation final of the Maroon Singles flight.
Robinson and freshman Kylie Adamek posted a doubles competition record of 2-1 for the weekend. They placed fifth in the consolation bracket of the North Doubles Flight.
“The tournament progressed well for us,” LSU coach Tony Minnis said in a news release. “We got off to a sluggish start, but we played better as the tournament went on. I was really pleased with how we finished [this weekend].”
Adamek, who led University High to three state titles as their No. 1 singles player, finished with a record of 2-2 in singles play. It was her first tournament as a collegiate player.
The Lady Tigers had an up and down weekend, finishing their first preseason tournament with a combined singles record of 6-7 and a combined doubles record of 2-3.
Junior Megan Falcon, this season’s No. 1 ranked player in the country, had the weekend off for the women’s team. Falcon ended this past year with a 38-3 record and a trip to the NCAA singles semifinals. She was the first Lady Tiger ever to advance to the semifinals.
The women’s team will continue play Sept. 28 at the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas. The men will see the court next on Sept. 21 at the Racquet Club of Irvine Pro Futures Qualifying tournament in Irvine, Calif.
—–Contact James Rees at [email protected]