HOUSTON — The LSU men’s tennis opened the 2003 fall open play season by winning four of six singles matches and three of four doubles matches on the first day of the Crowne Plaza Invitational on Friday at Rice University.
The day’s action began at the Met Business and Sports Club due to rain early in the day, before returning to the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium to finish the final seven singles matches.
LSU’s preseason No. 7-ranked doubles duo of Jason Hazley and Bryan Fisher earned their first victory of the season over Notre Dame’s team of Luis Haddock and Ryan Keckley, 8-5. Should the Tigers’ team get past Rice’s Jason Mok and Take Morita on Saturday, they may square off with the No. 1 team in the nation in Sunday’s flight A doubles final.
In singles play, LSU newcomers Ken Skupski, Danny Bryan and Colt Gaston each won their first match as Tigers. Skupski, a highly touted prospect who sat out the 2002-03 season at LSU, upset 18th-ranked Richard Barker of Rice, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, to advance in the singles flight A. He will face Haddock in the second round.
LSU’s Jason Hazley also pulled off an early season upset, handing Tulsa’s 58th-ranked Dustin Taylor a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 defeat.
Saturday’s singles play is scheduled for 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. matches, while doubles play is set for 1:30 p.m.
CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL RESULTS — DAY ONE
Flight A Singles
Ken Skupski (LSU) def. #18 Richard Barker (Rice), 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 (10-5)
#64 Luis Haddock (Notre Dame) def. Tom Murray (Tulsa), 6-0, 6-2
Jason Hazley (LSU) def. #58 Dustin Taylor (Tulsa), 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8)
#21 William Barker (Rice) def. Matt Scott (Notre Dame), 7-6, 5-7, 7-6
Flight B Singles
Shunsuke Shimizu (Tulsa) def. Ignacio Melus (Lamar), 7-5, 6-1
Patrick Buchanan (Notre Dame) def. Bryan Fisher (LSU), 6-4, 6-1
Danny Bryan (LSU) def. Rodrigo Gabriel (Rice), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6
Stephen Bass (Notre Dame) def. Olaf Sjlund (Tulsa) 6-2, 6-3
Flight C Singles
Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Take Morita (Rice), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9)
Irachli Akhvlediani (Notre Dame) def. Ricardo Rojas (Tulsa), 6-1, 6-4
Eric Langenkamp (Notre Dame) def. Brandon Nicholson (LSU), 6-2, 6-2
Jason Mok (Rice) def. John Matthews (Tulsa), 6-2, 6-2
Flight D Singles
Bobby McNally (Notre Dame) def. Luc Maasdorp (Tulsa), 7-5, 6-4
Ryan Keckley (Notre Dame) def. Eduardo Gutierrez (Tulsa), 6-3, 6-2
Jimmy Bass (Notre Dame) def. Roland Robb (Rice), 6-2, 6-4
Flight A Doubles
#1 Barker / Barker (Rice) def. Murray / Matthews (Tulsa), 8-2
Skupski / Gaston (LSU) def. Scott / Langenkamp (Notre Dame), 8-5
Mok / Morita (Rice) def. Taylor / Maarsorp (Tulsa), 9-8
#7 Fisher / Hazley (LSU) def. Haddock / Keckley (Notre Dame), 8-5
Flight B Doubles
S. Bass / McNally (Notre Dame), Bye
Harding Brumby / Robb (Rice) def. Rojas / Gutierrez (Tusla), 8-3
Sjolund / Shimizu (Tulsa) def. Will Wiggins / Melus (Lamar), 9-7
Bryan / Nicholson (LSU) def. Buchanan / Akhvlediani (Notre Dame), 8-5