The LSU men’s tennis team opened the spring season Thursday in Athens, Ga. at the Coaches’ Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships with the doubles team of Bryan Fisher and Jason Hazley upsetting the nation’s fifth ranked team in the quarterfinals.
Fisher and Hazley upset the tournament’s top-seeded Bo Hodge and John Isner in the quarterfinals 8-2, but lost in the next round to Ole Miss’ No. 25 duo of Paul Ciorascu and Catalin Gard, 9-8 (2).
“That is the highest level they’ve played at in a while,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “They had a hard second match about an hour after the first one and I think they kind of had a letdown. But they gave themselves a chance and took it to a tiebreaker. I really can’t complain when they give themselves a chance.”
The 19th-ranked Tigers competed in arguably the toughest conference tournament in college tennis. The tournament matched eight out of the 12 participating teams in the Top 25, and 25 players in the International Tennis Association Top 100.
“This is one of the most competitive college tournaments outside of the NCAA Championships and the ITA All-American tournament,” said LSU coach Jeff Brown. “This is a really good opportunity for us because the next time we see these teams it will be in SEC dual matches.”
LSU’s Cory Ross and Danny Bryan compiled a nine-game doubles winning streak before they lost to the nation’s 33rd-ranked team, Florent Girod and Romain Ambert from Mississippi State in the second round.
The tandem of Ken Skupski and Sebastian Rutka lost in the first round to Auburn’s Pelva and Schweizer.
Zoltan Pelva and Alex Schweizer of Auburn took home the doubles championship.
The Tigers were not as successful in singles play.
LSU’s 33rd-ranked Skupski lost in the third round to No. 49 Claes Lindholm of Ole Miss, 6-4, 6-1.
Ross had won four singles matches in the tournament, including two qualifying victories, before losing to No. 45 Zach Dailey of Vanderbilt, 6-0, 6-1.
Four Tigers did not advance past the first round of the tournament.
Fisher, Rutka, Hazley and Bryan lost their first matches but generally saw more success in doubles play.
Vanderbilt’s Chad Harris and Zach Dailey will play each other later this week in Nashville.
The SEC Indoor Tournament was the last individual tournament for LSU. Dual matches begin Jan. 31, when the Tigers host UL-Lafayette and Southern.