TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The 15th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team fell in its opening Southeastern Conference match of the season on Friday, as the 22nd-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide recorded a 4-1 victory at the Alabama Varsity Courts in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“We started off with some great momentum by winning the doubles point, but we didn’t do a very good job of maintaining it in the singles competition,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “We lost three first sets by a score of 6-1 in singles play and that just killed all of our momentum in the match.”
LSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in Friday’s contest as the Tigers earned the opening point of the match with two wins in doubles play.
On court No. 2, LSU’s combination of Jesse Smatt and Jason Hazley dropped Alabama’s duo of Chris Gostek and Boyles, 8-5, while the Tigers’ No. 3 doubles team of Bryan Fisher and Cory Ross finished off the Crimson Tide’s Nick Beuque and Chris McRae, 8-6, to earn the doubles point.
The Tigers fell to an overall record of 3-2 on the season and dropped to an 0-1 mark in conference play. With the win, the Crimson Tide upped its record to 8-2 on the season and 1-0 in the SEC. Alabama remained undefeated in Tuscaloosa, Ala., this year and increased its home record to 6-0.
In singles play, Alabama rebounded from its losses in doubles play to earn two quick victories on courts No. 5 and No. 6. Christian Brodersen defeated the Tigers’ Ross in No. 6 singles play, 6-1, 6-4, and Alabama’s McRae dropped LSU’s Hazley in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
The Tigers’ Kiernan and Fisher both fell to their Alabama counterparts in hard-fought three-set battles on Friday. On court No. 1, LSU’s 95th-ranked Kiernan fell to the Crimson Tide’s 64th-ranked Belski, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1, while Fisher couldn’t overcome a heartbreaking first-set loss to Gostek, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-1, on court No. 2.
“We didn’t play our best tennis today,” Brown said. “Whenever you go on the road and play a quality opponent, you better play your best, and we didn’t today.”
The 15th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will next be in action on Sunday, as the Tigers head to Auburn, Ala., for a conference matchup with Auburn at 1 p.m.
#22 Alabama def. #15 LSU, 4-1
Doubles
1. Kiernan/Rutka (LSU) vs. Belski/Mitchell, suspended.
2. Smatt/Hazley (LSU) def. Boyles/Gostek, 8-5.
3. Fisher/Ross (LSU) def. Beuque/McRae, 8-6.
Singles
1. #64 Max Belski (UA) def. #95 Dan Kiernan, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
2. Chris Gostek (UA) def. Bryan Fisher, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-1.
3. Peter Richman (LSU) vs. Stephen Mitchell, suspended.
4. Sebastian Rutka (LSU) vs. Nick Beuque, suspended.
5. Chris McRae (UA) def. Jason Hazley, 6-3, 6-3.
6. Christian Brodersen (UA) def. Cory Ross, 6-1, 6-4.