GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 21st-ranked LSU men’s tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 2 Florida on Sunday at the Linder Tennis Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
After a three-hour rain delay the match began with doubles play where the Gators took a 1-0 when Florida’s Oliver Levant and Eleazar Magallan defeated the Tigers’ Cory Ross and Sebastian by a score of 8-3, clinching the competition. Florida clinched in singles action at the No. 2 position when Janne Holmia defeated LSU’s Peter Richman in straight sets by scores of 6-3, 6-4.
“This was simply another very tough match against another ranked opponent in the SEC,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “The SEC is the best conference in the country and all matches, especially those on the road, are tough.”
“We will learn from this loss and get right back at it next weekend because conference play does not get any easier,” Brown said.
Bryan Fisher and Richman each battled their opponent well in singles, as Fisher lost to Levant in two sets by identical scores of 6-4, and 12th-ranked Janne Holmia held off 47th-ranked Richman, 6-3, 6-4. Florida improved to 13-2 overall this season and is now 4-0 in league action.
LSU dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 14 South Carolina on Friday in Columbia, S.C. LSU is now 7-4 overall and 1-3 in the SEC. The Tigers will next take on Tennessee on Fri. March 14 at 3 p.m. in Knoxville, Tenn.
#2 Florida (13-2, 4-0 SEC) def. #21 LSU (7-4, 1-3 SEC), 7-0
March 9, 2003- Gainesville, Fla.
Doubles
1. Mirzadeh/McDonald (UF) def. #14 Fisher/Hazley (LSU), 8-5
2. Levant/Magallan (UF) def. #40 Rutka/Ross (LSU), 8-3
3. Hahn/Behrmann (UF) def. White/Nicholson (LSU), 8-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. Mirzadeh (UF) def. Hazley (LSU), 6-1, 6-2
2. Holmia (UF) def. #47 Richman (LSU), 6-3, 6-4*
3. Hahn (UF) def. Rutka (LSU), 6-0, 6-4
4. Levant (UF) def. Fisher (LSU), 6-4, 6-4
5. Behrmann (UF) def. White (LSU), 6-3, 6-2
6. Magallan (UF) def. Ross (LSU), 6-4, 6-2
*clinched match
Order of finish: 3, 5, 2, 4, 1, 6