TULSA, Okla. — The LSU men’s tennis team finished its final leg of its three-match road trip with a convincing 5-2 win against a Tulsa team who is receiving votes in the Oracle/ITA poll, Sunday afternoon on the indoor courts in the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
With the win, LSU improves to 9-1 on the season while Tulsa drops to 9-4 on the year.
Co-Head Coach Chris Brandi on the Match
“It was another tough win on the road,” co-head coach Chris Brandi said. “Our guys probably played their best doubles point of the year and then started off well in singles. They are competing at a high level. We still need to continue to improve as the season moves forward. It will be fun to play at home next weekend before we head into SEC play.”
Doubles Point
The Tigers started off in dominating fashion on the top court when No. 30 Rafael Wagner and Joey Thomas defeated Majed Kilani and Jarod Hing, 6-1.
Shane Monroe and Daniel Moreno clinched the doubles point on court two with a 6-4 win against Kody Pearson and Daniel Siddall.
Singles Results
With the 1-0 lead in hand, freshman Thomas gave the Tigers another point with a 6-3, 6-2 victory on court five against Boriss Kamdem.
Tulsa cut the Tigers’ lead to 2-1 when Josuha Googer worked a 6-0, 5-7, 6-1 match on court two against Rafael Wagner.
The Tigers brought the score to 4-1 with wins on courts three and four. After taking the first set against Hing, 6-4, Malik Bhatnagar dropped the second, 4-6, before pulling away in the third 6-2 on the third court, and freshman Boris Kozlov was solid on the fourth court with a 7-5, 6-4 win against Pearson.
After falling in the first set against No. 73 Kilani, 7-6(3), Monroe easily forced a third set with a 6-3 second set. However, the senior was unable to hold on in the third, falling 1-0 (8).
The Tigers secured the 5-2 win on court six when freshman Nick Watson was relentless in his 5-7, 6-0, 7-6(5) match against Stefan Hampe.
Next Up
LSU will hold a double header on Saturday, Feb. 23 against Southern Miss and Jackson State beginning at 10 a.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex. All matches are free and open to the public.
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LSU 5, Tulsa 2
Singles competition
1. #73 Majed Kilani (TLSM) def. Shane Monroe (LSU) 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 1-0 (10-8)
2. Joshua Goodger (TLSM) def. Rafael Wagner (LSU) 6-0, 5-7, 6-1
3. Malik Bhatnagar (LSU) def. Jarod Hing (TLSM) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
4. Boris Kozlov (LSU) def. Kody Pearson (TLSM) 7-5, 6-4
5. Joey Thomas (LSU) def. Boriss Kamdem (TLSM) 6-3, 6-2
6. Nick Watson (LSU) def. Stefan Hampe (TLSM) 5-7, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles competition
1. #30 Rafael Wagner/Joey Thomas (LSU) def. Majed Kilani/Jarod Hing (TLSM) 6-1
2. Shane Monroe/Daniel Moreno (LSU) def. Kody Pearson/Daniel Siddall (TLSM) 6-4
3. Boriss Kamdem/Tom Thelwall-Jones (TLSM) vs. Boris Kozlov/Nick Watson (LSU) 6-5, unfinished
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,2,6,5,1,3)