TULSA, Okla.— Four members of the LSU’s men’s tennis team will compete in the pre-qualifying rounds of the ITA All-American Tournament Oct. 1-2 at the Case Tennis Center.
Freshman Agie Moreno will make his debut in the Purple and Gold, and Nikola Samardzic will be competing in his first match of the season. They will be joined by freshmen Julian Saborio and Rafael Wagner.
Moreno will take the court to face Utah’s Egbert Weverink. Saborio will square off against Southern California’s Henry Ji. Samardzic will face Miami’s Jesse Flores, and Wagner will compete against Florida’s Jordan Belga.
“This is the first event for some of our guys, but for the others, we are looking to improve on last week’s results,” head coach Jeff Brown said. “The ITA All-American tournament is one that can really set you up to gain a lot of confidence because you have a chance to get really familiar with some great competition. It’s a top-level event that everyone in the nation will be playing in.”
Saborio and Wagner had their first taste of collegiate tennis at the John Breaux Cajun Classic in Lafayette, Louisiana, where they partnered in doubles and competed in singles.
After dropping his first match, Wagner fought his way into the consolation singles quarterfinals and finished the weekend 2-2 on the singles court.
Saborio also suffered a first-match loss but bounced back to earn a win in the consolation singles round of 32. He concluded the weekend with a 1-2 record in singles.
Senior Justin Butsch and junior Gabor Csonka will join the team for the qualifying rounds on Oct. 3, and senior Jordan Daigle is set to begin competition in the main draw on Oct. 6.
For up-to-date information and behind-the-scenes access on the Tigers, fans can follow the LSU men’s tennis team on Twitter and Instagram at @lsutennis and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lsutennis.
2016 ITA Men’s All-American Championships
Oct. 1-2 at Tulsa, Okla. (Case Tennis Center)
Saturday, Oct. 1
Pre-Qualifying Singles
Agie Moreno (LSU) vs. Egbert Weverink (Utah), 1 p.m. CT
Julian Saborio (LSU) vs. Henry Ji (Southern California), 9 a.m. CT
Nikola Samardzic (LSU) vs. Jesse Flores (Miami), 8 a.m. CT
Rafael Wagner (LSU) vs. Jordan Belga (Florida), 8 a.m. CT