HOUSTON — The LSU men’s tennis team continued to topple the competition Saturday in the second day of Rice University’s Crowne Plaza Invitational with two players and two doubles teams advancing to the finals of their brackets.
LSU has fared well against in this first tournament of the fall season, handing upsets to several ranked opponents. Sunday will bring their biggest challenges with matches against some of the nation’s best players.
The Tigers’ No. 7 tandem of Jason Hazley and Brian Fisher beat Rice’s Take Morita and Jason Mok, 8-6, to advance to the finals of the A Flight doubles bracket at 1:30 p.m. Fisher and Hazley play twin brothers Richard and William Barker of Rice. The Barkers are the first-ranked doubles team in the nation.
First year Tiger Ken Skupski defeated his second ranked opponent in as many days. Skupski beat Notre Dame’s 64th-ranked Luis Haddock, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3. Yesterday, Skupski beat 18th-ranked Richard Barker.
“For Ken to beat two ranked opponents in his first two matches in college is a really strong statement,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown.
Skupski advances to the A Flight singles finals at 11 a.m. He faces 21st-ranked William Barker of Rice.
LSU freshman Colt Gaston beat Notre Dame’s Irachli Akhvlediani, 7-5, 6-2, and will play Erik Langenkamp of Notre Dame in the C Flight Singles finals. Danny Bryan and Brandon Nicholson play Akhvlediani and Patrick Buchanan in the B Flight doubles finals.
“Colt has had some really strong wins,” said Brown. “In fact, everybody’s been competing hard no matter what bracket they’re in. Our attitude this weekend has been just as impressive as our play.”
Hazley, Fisher, Nicholson and Bryan will see singles action Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. Skupski and Gaston have a doubles match at 1:30 p.m.
CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL RESULTS — DAY TWO
Flight A Singles
Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Luis Haddock (Notre Dame), 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
William Barker (Rice) def. Jason Hazley (LSU), 6-2, 7-6
Richard Barker (Rice) def. Tom Murray (Tulsa), 7-6, 6-2
Matt Scott (Notre Dame) def. Dustin Taylor (Tulsa), 3-6, 7-6, 6-2
Flight B Singles
Shunsuke Shimizu (Tulsa) def. Patrick Buchanan (Notre Dame), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
Stephen Bass (Notre Dame) def. Danny Bryan (LSU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Bryan Fisher (LSU) def. Ignacio Melus (Lamar), 6-4, 6-2
Rodrigo Gabriel (Rice) def. Olaf Sjlund (Tulsa) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
Flight C Singles
Colt Gaston (LSU) def. Irachli Akhvlediani (Notre Dame), 7-5, 6-2
Eric Langenkamp (Notre Dame) def. Jason Mok (Rice), 6-2, 6-4
Take Morita (Rice) def. Ricardo Rojas (Tulsa), 6-4, 6-2
John Matthews (Tulsa) def. Brandon Nicholson (LSU), 6-3, 6-3
Flight D Singles
Bobby McNally (Notre Dame) def. Eduardo Gutierrez (Tulsa), 6-0, 6-1
Ryan Keckley (Nore Dame) def. Roland Robb (Rice), 6-4, 6-2
Luc Maasdorp (Tulsa) def. Jimmy Bass (Notre Dame), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Flight A Doubles
Barker / Barker (Rice) def. Skupski / Gaston (LSU), 8-4
Fisher / Hazley (LSU) def. Mok / Morita (Rice), 8-6
Scott / Langenkamp (Notre Dame) def. Murray / Matthews (Tulsa), 8-0
Haddock / Keckley (Notre Dame) def. Taylor / Maarsorp (Tulsa), 8-3
Flight B Doubles
S. Bass / McNally (Notre Dame) def. Harding Brumby / Robb (Rice), 8-1
Bryan / Nicholson (LSU) def. Sjolund / Shimizu (Tulsa), 8-3
Rojas / Gutierrez (Tulsa), bye
Buchanan / Akhvlediani (Notre Dame) def. Will Wiggins / Melus (Lamar), default