TULSA, Okla. — Freshman Neal Skupski of the LSU men’s tennis team took two matches in the pre-qualifying rounds Saturday at the D’Novo All-American to advance to the final day of pre-qualifying at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
“Neal is beginning to improve and acclimate himself and his game to college tennis,” head coach Jeff Brown said. “He continues to show his potential and played complete matches, never showing a break in his concentration.”
Skupski first squared off in a match against Sacramento State’s Joe Debuzman in the second round of pre-qualifying matches, during which he claimed a straight-set victory over Debuzman, 6-0, 6-0.
Advancing into the third round, Skupski faced No. 29 seed, Baylor’s Marc Bruche. In a close match, the 6-1 freshman edged out Bruche by a mark of 6-4, 6-3, earning himself a spot in the final pre-qualifying round.
Skupski’s final pre-qualifying match is set against No. 11 seed, Ohio State’s Shuhei Uzawa on Sunday at 10 a.m.
D’Novo All-American Pre-Qualifying Rounds
Tulsa, Okla.
Oct. 3-5, 2008
All Times Central
Oct. 4
Round 2
Neal Skupski (LSU) def. Joe Debuzman (Sacramento State), 6-0, 6-0
Matt Brewer (Tennessee) def. Sebastian Carlsson (LSU), 6-4, 7-6 (6)
Eliot Potvin (Georgia Tech) def. Jonathan Tragardh (LSU), 6-2, 6-6 (2)
Christian Bierich (Iowa) def. Cody Loup (LSU), 6-2, 6-4
David Simson (Denver) def. Julien Gauthier (LSU), 6-4, 6-2
Round 3
Neal Skupski (LSU) def. Marc Bruche (Baylor), 6-4, 6-3
Oct. 5
Round 4
Neal Skupski (LSU) vs. Shuhei Uzawa (Ohio State), 10 a.m.