AUBURN, Ala. — The eighth-seeded LSU men’s tennis team fell to top-seeded Ole Miss on Friday at the Southeastern Conference Tournament by a 4-2 mark.
In three tough doubles matches, the Rebels took the doubles point; however, LSU made its mark.
“We got off to a quick start in doubles and they responded and ultimately got the point that became the difference,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said.
The third-ranked duo of Michael Venus and Neal Skupski defeated the No. 1 doubles team in the nation with an 8-4 mark against Ole Miss’ Jonas Berg and Bram ten Berge. The victory against the top-ranked duo is Venus and Skupski’s second of the year as they were the last tandem to defeat Berg and ten Berge in the regular season.
Venus and Skupski were first off the courts, leaving courts two and three in close matches. LSU’s James Cluskey and Jonathan Tragardh tied the match against Devin Britton and Tucker Vorster at 7-all. The Rebel tandem notched the next two points to take the match, pushing the doubles decision to court three.
LSU’s sophomore team of Sebastian Carlsson and Julien Gauthier fought to give the Tigers the early lead, but slipped behind Kalle Norberg and Otto Sauer and were unable to recover with the Ole Miss duo edging out the LSU tandem, 8-6.
Ole Miss took the 1-0 lead into singles.
LSU’s Cluskey faced off against nationally-ranked Britton in singles with the 37th-ranked Ole Miss contender taking the match in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.
Carlsson put the first point on the board for the Tigers by defeating ten Berge in straight-sets, 6-4, 6-4.
The next point went to Ole Miss as 39th-ranked Norberg defeated LSU’s Skupski on court three, 6-3, 6-2, to put the Rebels at a 3-1 overall advantage, one singles court away from clinching the overall match.
The Tigers refused to go down without a fight.
LSU’s sixth-ranked Venus defeated Berg, Ole Miss’ 16th-ranked singles player, in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5 to keep LSU in the match.
Court four would be the final decision for the match where LSU’ Gauthier squared off against Marcel Thiemann. Gauthier fell by a close 7-5 mark in the first set and Thiemann took the second set, 6-4, to win the match for Ole Miss, 4-2.
At the time of the clinch, LSU’s Bowtell led Christoph Thiemann 3-0 in the final set after splitting the first two with Thiemann.
The match drops LSU’s record to 10-11 on the season and leaves Ole Miss with a 22-2 mark.
Next up, 30th-ranked LSU looks to a postseason presence in the NCAA Tournament with brackets announced on Tuesday at approximately 4:20 CDT on ESPNews.
“We were close to turning in singles and you could almost taste it in the air that it was starting to move our way,” Brown said. “It just didn’t happen on some of the courts. We are playing better and better and are looking forward to the NCAA Tournament.”
#2 Ole Miss 4, #30 LSU, 2
April 24, 2009
Auburn, Ala.
Yarbrough Tennis Center
Singles
1. #6 Michael Venus (LSU) def. #16 Jonas Berg (UM), 6-3, 7-5
2. #37 Devin Britton (UM) def. James Cluskey (LSU), 6-2, 6-3
3. #39 Kalle Norberg (UM) def. Neal Skupski (LSU), 6-3, 6-2
4. Sebastian Carlsson (LSU) def. Bram ten Berge (UM), 6-4, 6-4
5. Marcel Thiemann (UM) def. Julien Gauthier (LSU), 7-5, 6-4
6. Mark Bowtell (LSU) led Christoph Thiemann (UM), 7-5, 1-6, 3-0 unfinished
Order of finish: 2,3,4,1,5
Doubles
1. #3 Michael Venus/Neal Skupski (LSU) def. #1 Bram ten Berge/Jonas Berg (UM), 8-4
2. Devin Britton/Tucker Vorster (UM) def. James Cluskey/Jonathan Tragardh (LSU), 9-7
3. Kalle Norberg/Otto Sauer (UM) def. Sebastian Carlsson/Julien Gauthier (LSU), 8-6
Order of finish: 1,2,3