ORLANDO, Fla. — The LSU men’s tennis team swept Georgia State in the final day of matches at the University of Central Florida Invitational before inclement weather cancelled the remainder of the matches on Sunday.
“This was an important weekend for us and we got a lot out of it,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “Neal Skupski and Mark Bowtell both went undefeated in singles and Neal and Sebastian [Carlsson] went undefeated in doubles as well.”
During the three-day event, LSU won a total of 17 matches, including seven on Sunday. Freshmen Neal Skupski and Mark Bowtell each notched a perfect 3-0 singles record. The Tiger tandem of Skupski and Carlsson also posted an undefeated record, winning all three doubles matches at the tournament.
In his final singles match, Skupski emerged victorious from a heated match with Georgia State’s No. 69 Nejc Podkrajsek.
The LSU newcomer fell behind in the first set as Podkrajsek took the early lead with 6-3 mark. After faltering in the opening set, Skupski turned the momentum to breeze past Podkrajsek with a 6-0 mark in the second set. In the final set, Skupski emerged victorious, topping the nationally-ranked Podkrajsek, 6-1.
Bowtell once again defeated his opponent in straight sets, claiming victory over Jackson Moore with a 6-4, 6-1 mark in his final singles match of the tournament.
Carlsson and Skupski had a top-notch performance as a doubles team in their final match as well. The LSU duo overcame Podkrajsek and Martin Shishkov 8-3 to complete the Tiger tandem’s perfect tournament record.
LSU will next compete in the ITA National Indoor Championships as No. 20 Michael Venus will travel to the Boyd Tinsley Tennis Center in Charlottesville, Va. for the event scheduled Nov. 6-9.
UCF Invitational
October 31-November 2, 2008
Orlando, Fla.
Nov. 2
Singles
Flight A
Neal Skupski (LSU) def. Nejc Podkrajsek (GSU), 3-6, 6-0, 6-1
Julien Gauthier (LSU) def. Martin Shishkov (GSU), 6-2, 7-5
Flight B
Sebastian Carlsson (LSU) def. Henri Mangin (GSU), 6-2, 6-2
Mark Bowtell (LSU) def. Jackson Moore (GSU), 6-4, 6-1
Flight C
Jonathan Tragardh (LSU) def. William Adeimy (GSU), 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
Flight A
Sebastian Carlsson/Neal Skupski (LSU) def. Nejc Podkrajsek/Martin Shishkov (GSU), 8-3
Flight B
Julien Gauthier/Jonathan Tragardh (LSU) def. William Adeimy/Henri Mangin (GSU), 8-5