GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team edged the Florida Gators by a score of 4-3 on Friday, as the Tigers earned their fifth-Southeastern Conference victory of the season here at the Linder Tennis Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
After a three-hour rain delay, the teams opened the match with the singles competition with hopes of saving time if one of the teams would win by a score of 4-2. It wasn’t meant to be, as the total-team score after singles play was knotted at 3-3.
In doubles play, LSU’s 29th-ranked combination of Dan Kiernan and Sebastian Rutka clinched the match on court No. 1 by defeating the Gator’s 50th-ranked duo of Olivier Levant and Jeremy Wurtzman, 8-3. The Tigers’ Ajay Ramaswami and Anthony Mateljan recorded the first doubles victory of the match, 8-1, over Florida’s West Nott and Trey Johnson.
With the win, LSU improved to an overall record of 12-4 on the season and a 5-3 mark against SEC opponents. The Gators dropped to a 9-10 overall record and a 3-3 mark in conference play. The Tigers snapped Florida’s three-match winning streak and earned their second-road victory of the season.
LSU earned a vital win in singles play on court No. 2 by Kiernan to force the doubles competition. The 64th-ranked Kiernan overcame a first-set deficit to defeat the 72nd-ranked Levant, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. The Tigers’ Rutka and Mateljan picked up the first-two singles wins for LSU on courts No. 4 and No. 6, respectfully.
The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will next be in action on Sunday, April 1, as the Tigers face the South Carolina Gamecocks at noon in Columbia, S.C.
#17 LSU: 4, Florida: 3
Singles
1. #47 Jeremy Wurtzman (UF) def. #10 Ajay Ramaswami (LSU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
2. #64 Dan Kiernan (LSU) def. #72 Olivier Levant (UF), 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.
3. Troy Hahn (UF) def. Sanjin Sadovich (LSU), 7-5, 6-2.
4. Sebastian Rutka (LSU) def. Matt Behrmann (UF), 6-4, 6-3.
5. West Nott (UF) def. Jesse Smatt (LSU), 6-4, 6-3.
6. Anthony Mateljan (LSU) def. Trey Johnson (UF), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
Doubles
1. #29 Kiernan/Rutka (LSU) def. #50 Levant/Wurtzman (UF), 8-3.
2. #40 Smatt/Sadovich (LSU) vs. Behrmann/Hahn (UF), suspended.
3. Ramaswami/Mateljan (LSU) def. Nott/Johnson (UF), 8-1.