TULSA, Okla. — LSU’s duo of James Cluskey and Ken Skupski finished a fantastic day of tennis Friday as they advanced to the main draw semifinals of the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championships.
The LSU pair began the day with a huge upset by defeating the No.3-ranked team of Middle Tennessee’s Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrom by an 8-6 count. The win was a bit of revenge for Skupski.
Last season, the Blue Raiders had knocked out Skupski and then partner Mark Growcott on their way to winning the year’s first of three national championships.
“Ken and James have done a great job of complimenting each other’s skills,” LSU associated head coach Mark Booras said. “They faced very tough competition today and showed great resiliency.”
The big upset put the doubles pair in the quarterfinals against North Carolina’s Lenny Gullan and David Stone. The Tiger tandem routed their second opponent just like their first as they defeated the Tar Heels by an 8-6 count.
In singles, Skupski fell behind early in the first set against California’s Pierre Mouillon, losing by a 6-4 count. The two-time ITA All-American fired back in the second set as he took his opponent to a tiebreaker where he came out on top, 7-6(5). Skupski’s momentum faded in the third set as he fell by a 6-2 count.
Cluskey and Skupski hope to knock off another top-ranked team tomorrow as they will face Michigan’s Brian Hung and Matko Maravic (No. 5) in the semifinals.
Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Main Draw Results
October 6, 2006
Second Round Doubles Results
#28 James Cluskey/Ken Skupski (LSU) def. #3 Marco Born/Andreas Siljestrom (Middle Tenn.), 8-6
Second Round Singles Consolation
#68 Pierre Mouillon (California) def. #12 Ken Skupski (LSU), 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2
Quarterfinals Doubles Results
#28 James Cluskey/Ken Skupski (LSU) def. Lenny Gullan/David Stone (North Carolina), 8-6
Semifinals Doubles Schedule
Oct. 7 2006
#28 James Cluskey/Ken Skupski vs. #5 Brian Hung/Matko Maravic (Michigan), 11 a.m.