Senior Sebastian Carlsson and junior Neal Skupski fell just short of reaching the finals of the consolation bracket at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships in Tulsa during the weekend.
The duo entered the weekend ranked No. 16 in the country but got off to a rough start, losing to Virginia’s Alex Dominian and Jarmere Jenkins, 8-2, on Thursday.
Friday was a different story.
Carlsson and Skupski ousted Marcelo Arevalo and Rusty Turpin of host Tulsa University, 8-3, to advance to the second round where they bested Yale’s Erik Blumenkratz and Joel Samaha, 8-5.
“The guys were disappointed in how they performed [Thursday],” said LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan. “They came out with very good focus [Friday] and were able to succeed on the court.”
The team’s run was halted Saturday when Fresno State’s Remi Boutillier and Rikus de Villiers made quick work of the Tiger twosome, winning 8-2.
Bryan was eager to point out the positives from the weekend after the match.
“It was a good weekend for Sebastian and Neal,” he said. “They got to play against some of the top players in the country. They know what they need to do, and we will get back to practice and continue working hard to prepare for the next tournament.”
In the singles’ draw, Carlsson, ranked No. 78 in the country, won his first-round qualifying match in three sets against 92nd-ranked Patrick Pohlman of the University of San Diego, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, but fell short of qualifying for the event.
Skupski, the No. 31 player in the country, automatically qualified for the event, but was unable to win a match.
The junior dropped his first round match to eighth-ranked Eric Quigley of Kentucky, 7-5, 6-1.
In his second round match, the Liverpool, England, native, won the first set, 6-4, against Arkansas’ Chris Notts, the 41st-ranked player in the nation, but dropped the final two sets, 6-3 and 6-4, respectively, eliminating him from the tournament.
“Neal played really well against some tough opponents,” Bryan said. “He had a lot of opportunities to win, and he just wasn’t able to get it done. We are looking forward to getting back to work and improving in different areas.”
Next on the fall calendar is the ITA Southern Regionals in Tuscaloosa, Ala., beginning Oct. 21 on Alabama’s campus.
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Contact Hunt Palmer at [email protected]