ATHENS, Ga. — The No. 20-ranked LSU men’s tennis team will face its biggest challenge Sunday afternoon when it takes on No. 1 Georgia at noon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Both teams opened SEC play Friday. LSU (7-1) had a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 30 Tennessee, while Georgia (11-0) swept Arkansas, 7-0. The Bulldogs are 40-18 all-time against the Tigers. In their last meeting, Georgia defeated LSU, 6-1, in Baton Rouge. The last time the Tigers beat the Bulldogs was in 2003, when The Tigers won by a 5-2 score in Athens.
“We found pretty good form against Tennessee Friday,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “The guys that won felt good about their performance and hopefully the guys who had a bad outing can rebound and be ready for tomorrow.”
Under head coach Manuel Diaz, Georgia has become a powerhouse in collegiate tennis. The Bulldogs have won 41 out of their last 42 dual matches and won their second-straight ITA Team Indoor National Championship in February.
In singles, the Bulldogs boast six singles players ranked in the top 80. Georgia’s top two players are John Isner (No. 3) and Luis Flores (No. 9.)
Set to battle Isner is senior Ken Skupski. The two All-Americans have become two of the SEC’s premiere players. They have both received First-Team All-SEC honors the past three years. Skupski defeated Isner in their two previous meetings.
With a win against Isner on Sunday, Skupski would be tied with former Tigers Teddy Viator and Michael Wesbrooks for 6th on the LSU career win list with 96.
Senior Danny Bryan leads the team in singles victories with 17. The New Orleans native’s most notable win came Friday when he knocked off No. 23 Bobby Cameron of Tennessee.
Junior Kevin Dessauer has been the Tigers most consistent threat by compiling an 8-0 record in dual play. Additionally, the New Orleans native only lost one set during his eight matches. Dessauer has already tripled his win total from last season with 15.
It should be an entertaining battle for the doubles points as LSU and Georgia represent five teams ranked in the top 50. For LSU, Skupski and James Cluskey are ranked No. 6 and Bryan and Colt Gaston are listed at No. 25. Bryan and Gaston own an outstanding 10-0 record this season. Additionally, the SEC Indoor Doubles Champions have won 21 straight matches since last season. LSU has won the doubles point seven out of its eight matches.
For Georgia, the No. 6 team of Isner and Flores hold a 19-1 record this season, including four wins over teams that were ranked in the top 10. The No. 5 team of Travis Helgeson and Matic Omerzel boast a 17-3 record this season, including going 9-1 in dual action. Rounding out Georgia’s doubles teams is the No. 42 team of Jamie Hunt and Nate Schnugg. The Bulldogs have not lost the doubles point this season.
“The doubles point should make for some quality competition,” Brown commented. “A lot of these guys have played each other numerous times. There is a lot of familiarity and mutual respect between the two teams.”