BATON ROUGE- There are only three days until the start of the 2018 LSU men’s tennis season. The Tigers will face Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day. Here is the second part of the 2018 team introduction.
Get to Know the Sophomores
The largest class on the LSU men’s tennis team, the sophomores, comprises of Agie Moreno, Julian Saborio and Rafael Wagner.
The trio saw ample playing time last season across the back three courts in singles play and on courts two and three in doubles. The sophomores are key cogs to the program and have the ability to make a strong statement this season.
Moreno mainly patrolled court six during his freshman season, where he compiled an 11-15 overall singles record. The Wesley Chapel, Florida, native spent all of his doubles time on court three and earned seven wins with four partners.
During the fall, Moreno won two singles matches, including a win in the John Breaux Cajun Classic against UL-Lafayette’s Pearce Dolan, 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (2). He also notched a win against conference foe Viboosh Chandresekar of Auburn in the qualifying round of the ITA Southern Regional, 6-2, 6-4.
“Agie is a great team guy,” co-head coach Andy Brandi said. “He has the potential to play a big part in the success of the Tigers this season.”
Saborio paired with Gabor Csonka on court two in doubles during his freshman campaign. The duo finished the season ranked No. 80 in the final ITA Doubles rankings after recording 16 victories on the season. Four of those wins were against SEC opponents.
A native of San Jose, Costa Rica, Saborio played on the last three singles courts throughout the 2017 season. He secured 11 matches, including four wins during the dual season.
Back-to-back wins in the qualifying rounds of the ITA Southern Regional propelled Saborio into the round of 64 with wins against Troy’s Jiaqi Duan, 7-6(3), 7-6(4) and New Orleans’ Alexis Guedy, a 6-2, 6-4.
“Julian is a very powerful player. We are expecting big things out of Julian this season with all of his weapons,” Brandi added.
Wagner played on the back three courts during his freshman campaign and finished the 2017 season third on the team in singles victories with 16. The Basilia, Brazil, native took home two SEC wins and swept three consecutive opponents prior to the opening of the 2017 dual season.
The 6-4 sophomore notched a team-high seven singles wins in fall play. He reached the semifinal of the Commodore Scramble in late September after defeating Vanderbilt’s Panu Virtanen in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
“Rafael could become an elite college player,” Brandi noted. “He needs a little seasoning, but he has the weapons to accomplish it.”
Social Center
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.