Sophomore Neal Skupski is hastily becoming the star of the LSU men’s tennis team.Skupski is the only Tiger to make it to the singles main draw of the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., this weekend after winning three matches in qualifying throughout the week.LSU men’s coach Jeff Brown said not every qualifying match was a breeze for Skupski, but they made him a better player.”A couple matches were kind of even, and he found a way to get through,” Brown said. “But that’s what pushes you to the next level.”Skupski and junior Sebastian Carlsson won their first doubles match against Oklahoma by default because the Oklahoma team had a problem with the time. The Sooners thought the match was later than scheduled and therefore did not show up to the match. The match would not have been able to be rescheduled with games already slated for Friday.Skupski is one of 64 players in the singles main draw, and the duo of Skupski and Carlsson is one of 32 doubles teams.Brown said having a year under his belt has helped Skupski prepare more for his competition this season.”Neal’s put in the time,” Brown said. “He understands the game a little better. It’s good to see him get three wins.”Skupski said he’s been working on his serve and keeping balls in play. After making his way through the qualifying rounds, it’s clear the work he’s putting in is paying off against a talented field of competitors.”It’s a pretty big event actually,” Skupski said. “If you do well here then it will help you in the spring.”Brown said Skupski’s early success has given him more of a positive swagger.”He’s walking around a little bit with a little more confidence, and I think that’s the whole idea,” Brown said. “It’s good to see that he’s starting to understand how good he is.”Skupski beat Georgia Tech junior Guillermo Gomez, the nation’s No. 5 ranked player, to advance.Brown said the All-American tournament is more for Skupski’s individual rankings than it is for the team.”It’s not so much that he’s getting our name out there,” Brown said. “We are what we are. For him, it’s about confidence and building and proving that the hard work and film studying he’s been doing is paying off.”Carlsson failed to qualify for the singles championships but joins Skupski in the doubles main draw. The duo posted a 4-2 doubles record last season.Brown said the pair will likely stick together if they keep winning this season. Otherwise, the two will be split up to create two solid LSU doubles teams.”They have good chemistry off the court, and they practice well together,” Brown said. “We’re going to see if they’re going to be the team or if we need to split them up and share their talents.”Skupski said conditioning is the key to winning long events like the All-American Championships. He’s still getting used to the heat and humidity which differs from that of his native England.”Last year, I was having a lot of cramp issues,” Skupski said. “The trainers have gotten on to that. They gave us salt tablets and lots of fluids to drink.”—–Contact Rowan Kavner at [email protected]