COLLEGE STATION, Texas- The 14th-ranked LSU doubles duo of Sebastian Carlsson and Neal Skupski upset the No. 1 doubles pair in the nation, but it wasn’t enough as the LSU men’s tennis team fell to 14th-ranked Texas A&M 6-1 on Sunday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Tigers (3-5) dropped their third-straight road match to a ranked opponent, while the Aggies improved to 8-3 on the season with the win.
The Aggies were first off the courts with an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles, but the Tigers evened it up as Carlsson and Skupski finished-off the top-ranked Texas A&M pair of Jeff Dadamo and Austin Krajicek 8-6 on Court 1.
Texas A&M then grabbed the momentum back by clinching the doubles point on Court 2 as Junior Ore and Alexey Grigorov outlasted LSU’s Tom Knights and Roger Anderson 9-8 (3).
With the win, Carlsson and Skupski have now rattled off seven-straight dual match victories, and improved their dual record to 7-1 on the season. It’s also the third ranked foe the pair has taken down this year.
“We fought really hard in doubles and we would take that effort on the road every time,” LSU head coach Jeff Brown said. “(Skupski and Carlsson) are going in the right direction, and anytime you beat an opponent of that caliber it’s a big win.”
In singles action, Skupski picked up the lone point for the Tigers at No. 1 singles. The Liverpool, England, native dispatched 29th-ranked Krajicek in the third-set tiebreaker 7-5, 6-7, (10-5).
The Aggies cruised to straight-set victories on Courts 2,4,5 and 6, and junior Mark Bowtell narrowly fell to Grigorov 6-7, 7-6, (10-4) at No.3 singles.
“In singles we had a couple bright spots, but overall we weren’t prepared at some positions,” Brown said. “I think the guys know they can get it done if they work hard, but give A&M credit they’re a strong team.”
The Tigers now turn their attention to SEC competition, which begins next Friday in Gainesville, Fla., when LSU squares-off against the 10th-ranked Florida Gators. LSU will then end their five match road swing in Columbia, S.C., against the University of South Carolina on Sunday before returning to the “Dub” against No. 1 Virginia on March 9.
#14 Texas A&M 6, #36 LSU 1
Singles competition
1. #88 Neal Skupski (LSU) def. #29 Austin Krajicek (TAMU), 7-5, 6-7, 10-5
2. #49 Jeff Dadamo (TAMU) def. Olivier Borsos (LSU), 6-2, 6-2
3. Alexey Grigorov (TAMU) def. Mark Bowtell (LSU), 6-7, 7-6, 10-4
4. #121 Alexis Klegou (TAMU) def. Sebastian Carlsson (LSU), 6-3, 6-0
5. Colin Hoover (TAMU) def. Julien Gauthier (LSU), 6-2, 6-3
6. Alberto Bautista (TAMU) def. Tom Knights (LSU), 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #14 Neal Skupski/Sebastian Carlsson (LSU) def. #1 Jeff Dadamo/Austin Krajicek (TAMU), 8-6
2. Junior Ore/Alexey Grigorov (TAMU) def. Tom Knights/Roger Anderson (LSU), 9-8 (7-3)
3. #57 Colin Hoover/Alberto Bautista (TAMU) def. Olivier Borsos/Julien Gauthier (LSU), 8-4
Order of Finish:
Doubles 3, 1, 2 Singles 4, 2, 6*, 5, 3, 1
*Clinched match