The LSU men’s tennis team had a successful showcasing of its young talent Friday, as four players notched wins during the opening round of the Rice Invitational in Houston, Texas.
Freshman Stefan Szacinski paved the way for the Tigers with a 7-6, 2-6, 1-0 win in singles against Tulane’s Joe Young and also registered an 8-3 victory in doubles with sophomore Mark Bowtell.
Roger Anderson, another freshman, also picked up his first collegiate victory with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory against Rice’s Andy Wang.
Junior Julien Gauthier, the Tigers’ most experienced player at the tournament, knocked off Southern Methodist’s Bryan Griffin in straight sets, 7-5, 6-0.
Meanwhile, the LSU women’s tennis team had nearly identical success at the Southeastern Conference Fall Classic in Nashville, Tenn.
Freshmen Keri Frankenberger and Kaitlin Burns both won their first matches at LSU.
Frankenberger won in convincing fashion in straight sets over Tennessee’s Katie Lee, 6-1, 6-2.
Burns knocked off Georgia’s Lara Fakhoury in a three-set nail biter. Burns took the first set 7-5, lost the second 3-6, but caught fire in the third to push across a 6-3 decision for the match.
The men are scheduled to begin the second day of competition Saturday at 9 a.m., while the women take the court at 10 a.m.
 
—-Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]