ATHENS, Ga. — Three Tigers won matches Friday in the SEC Indoor Tournament against stiff competition from the nation’s toughest tennis conference.
“This has been a great warm up for dual matches for us,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “Ken (Skupski) and Cory (Ross) are going to get an opportunity to play against some really good players tomorrow.
Ken Skupski rolled through his first match of the tournament, beating Florida’s Ryan Sherry 6-3, 6-4. Skupski received a bye in the first round and will play tomorrow against Georgia’s 97th ranked John Isner.
Cory Ross has won four straight matches in the tournament, advancing with a 7-5, 7-5 win over Florida’s Chris Brandi.
LSU junior Peter Richman won the first match he played since last spring, a 6-4, 6-0 decision over South Carolina’s Carl Wermee. Richman was ranked 36th in the preseason but did not play in the fall because of an injury. He faced No. 4 Romain Ambert of Mississippi State in the secound round and lost 6-1, 6-4.
Three Tigers did not advance past the first round of the tournament. Bryan Fisher, Sebastian Rutka and Jason Hazley lost their matches but will return to action tomorrow when doubles play begins.
Hazley and Fisher, Rutka and Skupski and Ross and Danny Bryan will represent LSU in the doubles bracket. Fisher and Hazley are the 35th-ranked doubles team in the nation.
SEC COACHES’ INDOOR TOURNAMENT
DAY TWO RESULTS
Singles
Round of 64
Peter Richman (LSU) def. Carl Wermee (USC), 6-4, 6-0
#63 Stephen Mitchell (ALA) def. Bryan Fisher (LSU), 6-1, 6-1
Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) def. Sebastian Rutka (LSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-0
Damien Spizzo (UT) def. Jason Hazely (LSU), 6-4, 6-3
Cory Ross (LSU) def. Christian Broderson (ALA), 6-0, 6-3
Round of 32
#4 Romain Ambert (MSU) def. Peter Richman (LSU), 6-1, 6-4
#33 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Ryan Sherry (UF), 6-3, 6-4
Cory Ross (LSU) vs. Chris Brandi (UF), 7-5, 7-5