MEMPHIS — Freshman Nick Watson was relentless in his three-set, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3 win on court six against Patrick Sydow to lead the LSU men’s tennis team to a 4-3 win against Memphis Sunday afternoon at the Racquet Club of Memphis.
With the win, LSU improves to 7-1 on the season while Memphis drops to 8-2.
Co-Head Coach Chris Brandi on the Match
“It was a tough win today,” co-head coach Chris Brandi said. “It wasn’t pretty, but the guys found a way and competed against a really good team on the road. We definitely need to work on a few areas in the next week to be ready for two more tough road matches.”
Doubles Point
Memphis duo Oscar Cutting and David Stevenson defeated the No. 30 pair in the nation Rafael Wagner and Joey Thomas with a 6-2 match on court one.
On court two, Daniel Moreno and Shane Monroe fell in a tight battle to Jan Pallares and Sydow, 6-4, to give Memphis the 1-0 lead moving into singles play.
Singles Results
The Bayou Bengals tied the match at 1-1 when Thomas swept Cutting, 6-3, 6-4, on court five.
Memphis jumped out to the 3-1 lead after taking the top two courts. Pallares defeated Wagner on court two, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, and after forcing a third set on court one, Monroe dropped his match to Chris Patzanovsky, 7-6(1), 2-6, 6-4.
On court three, Malik Bhatnagar worked a 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 win against Matt Story to put LSU within one, and Boris Kozlov tied the match with a gritty 6-2, 6-7(1), 7-6(4) win against Stevenson on court four before Watson secured the victory.
Next Up
LSU will travel to Dallas to take on SMU on Friday, Feb. 15 and will head to Tulsa on Sunday, Feb. 17 before returning home for a double header on Saturday, Feb. 23 against Southern Miss and Jackson State.
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.
LSU 4, Memphis 3
Singles competition
1. Chris Patzanovsky (MEM) def. Shane Monroe (LSU) 7-6 (7-1), 2-6, 6-4
2. Jan Pallares (MEM) def. Rafael Wagner (LSU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
3. Malik Bhatnagar (LSU) def. Matt Story (MEM) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
4. Boris Kozlov (LSU) def. David Stevenson (MEM) 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-4)
5. Joey Thomas (LSU) def. Oscar Cutting (MEM) 6-3, 6-4
6. Nick Watson (LSU) def. Patrick Sydow (MEM) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Oscar Cutting/David Stevenson (MEM) def. #30 Rafael Wagner/Joey Thomas (LSU) 6-2
2. Jan Pallares/Patrick Sydow (MEM) def. Daniel Moreno/Shane Monroe (LSU) 6-4
3. Matt Story/Jeremy Taylor (MEM) vs. Boris Kozlov/Nick Watson (LSU) 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
LSU 7-1
Memphis 8-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,2,1,3,4,6)