CHICAGO — Despite career days for Ken Skupski and Mark Growcott at the top of the lineup, the LSU men’s tennis team lost for the first time this season Thursday to No. 8-ranked and eighth-seeded Duke (5-1) in the first round of the National Team Indoor Championships.
The No. 11-ranked Tigers moved to 7-1on the season after the 4-2 loss and will face Boise State tomorrow at 3 p.m.
Skupski and Growcott, ranked 13th in the nation as a doubles team, began the afternoon with an 8-5 win over Duke’s 14th-ranked combo of Ludovic Walter and Jason Zimmerman on court two.
Two LSU pairs, Jason Hazley and Danny Bryan and Peter Richman and Colt Gaston, lost their first doubles matches of the dual season in close decisions, giving Duke the doubles point.
The match tightened in singles play when 12th-ranked Skupski beat Walter 7-6 (3), 6-4. The win over sixth-ranked Walter was the highest of Skupski’s collegiate career so far and it pushed his win streak to 11 consecutive matches.
Growcott came through with a three-set win over No. 52 Jonathan Stokke on court two. It was the first singles win over a nationally-ranked player of Growcott’s LSU career.
Duke’s Peter Rodrigues picked up the match-clinching win over Richman after three sets to give the Blue Devils their first win in three ties over the Tigers.
“This was an excellent collegiate tennis match,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “The doubles point was close and it came down to two great fighters.”
Hazley led his opponent on court three in the third set when the match was called.
“We played extremely well at one and two,” Brown said. “In a way we will be able to take confidence from this match. We know we were right there with one of the best teams in the country, and that means we could be one of the best teams. It’s part of our learning curve.”
Boise State is the 16th and last seed of the draw, but the Broncos came extremely close to upsetting defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Baylor on Thursday afternoon.
#8 Duke 4, #11 LSU 2
SINGLES
1. #12 Ken Skupski (LSU) def. #6 Ludovic Walter, 7-6 (3), 6-4
2. Mark Growcott (LSU) def. #52 Jonathan Stokke, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
3. #106 Stephen Amritraj (Duke) vs. #87 Jason Hazley, DNF
4. Peter Rodrigues (Duke) def. Peter Richman, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
5. Peter Shults (Duke) def. Danny Bryan, 6-2, 7-6 (7)
6. Charles Brezac (Duke) def. Paul White, 6-3, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4
DOUBLES
1. #13 Skupski & Growcott (LSU) def. #14 Walter & Jason Zimmermann, 8-5
2. #15 Rodrigues & Stokke (Duke) def. #34 Bryan & Hazley, 8-6
3. Amritraj & Shults (Duke) def. Gaston & Richman, 8-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3