COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Senior Michael Venus and freshman Neal Skupski of the LSU men’s tennis team capped their individual seasons as each fell from the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournament on Thursday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Venus defeated first-round opponent Austen Childs of Louisville, 6-2, 6-4, on Wednesday before moving into the Round of 32 to square off against San Diego’s Dean Jackson.
Venus and Jackson kept a close first set in their match with Jackson taking it by a slim 7-6 margin. In the second set, Jackson posted the first point.
The 6-3 LSU senior battled back with four-straight aces to tie the match at 1-all. Jackson pulled ahead after capturing the next game and held the lead for the remainder of the set as Venus fell with a 6-3 second-set mark.
The match capped Venus’ outstanding singles career with an overall 26-9 record.
Venus returned to the courts for the opening round of doubles competition with partner Skupski as part of the second-ranked and third-seeded tandem.
In the Round of 32, the LSU duo faced Sacramento State’s 58th-ranked Kiryl Harbatsiuk and Anton Stryhas.
Venus and Skupski gained an early lead and posted 4-1 over Harbatsiuk and Stryhas. The Sacramento State duo battled intensely to close the gap and tied the match at 5-all.
Despite LSU’s best efforts, the match entered into first-set tiebreaker and Harbatsiuk and Stryhas squeaked by with an 11-9 mark.
The tight match pushed the second set into a tiebreaker as well, and as Sacramento State’s tandem etched a 7-4 mark, LSU’s Venus and Skupski fell, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-4).
The tournament ended the Tiger tandem’s record with at an overall 18-8, including 12-6 against nationally-ranked opponents.
“It was just one of those days where nothing goes your way,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “We didn’t play that well, but we weren’t able to take advantage of the opportunities that we had to gain momentum. It was an unfortunate ending to a great year for those guys.”
Although this season has come to an end for the Tigers, Brown has great expectations for the future.
“Michael has been a great contributor and we wish him well in his career,” Brown said. “We are excited to get Neal back and for him to step up into a leadership role. We are already building and preparing for next year.”
NCAA Singles and Doubles Championship
May 20, 2009
College Station, Texas
Singles
Round of 32
Dean Jackson (USD) def. Michael Venus (LSU), 7-6 (9-7), 6-3
Doubles
Round of 32
Kiryl Harbatsiuk /Anton Stryhas def. Neal Skupski/Michael Venus, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-4)