LSU Gold

Men's Tennis Falls Short in SEC Second Round

by Alissa Cavaretta
Box Score +0
Men's Tennis Falls Short in SEC Second Round

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Rafael Wagner and Malik Bhatnagar secured wins on courts two and four as the LSU men’s tennis team fell short of advancing to the third round of the SEC Tournament to No. 22 South Carolina, 4-2, Thursday morning in the Ring Tennis Complex.

With the win, South Carolina improves to 16-8 on the year while LSU falls to 16-11.

Co-Head Coach Chris Brandi on the Match
“That was a tough match from the first point to the last from both teams. We had match points again against them in doubles. South Carolina just came up big. In singles, we made a run at the end, and it came down to Joey (Thomas) and Boris (Kozlov) who have been two of our best points all year. It’s a disappointing result, but we competed like Tigers. We are proud of this group.”

Doubles Point
Boris Kozlov and Nick Watson fell to Beau Pelletier and Jake Beasley, 6-3, on court three to open doubles play.

On court one, No. 83 Shane Monroe and Daniel Moreno defeated Daniel Rodriguez and Raphael Lambling, 6-4, pushing the doubles decision to court two.

No. 35 Wagner and Joey Thomas were gridlocked at 5-5 with Paul Jubb and Yancy Dennis before the Gamecock pair forced the match into a tiebreaker and clinched the doubles point, 7-6(3).

Singles Results
South Carolina extended its lead to 2-0 on court one when No. 6 Jubb defeated Shane Monroe in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2.

The Tigers put their first point on the board when Bhatnagar swept Pelletier, 6-1, 6-3, on court four.

Wagner tied the match at 2-2 when he worked a 7-6(4), 6-4 win against No. 119 Rodrigues on court two.

After falling behind in the first set to Dennis, 6-2, on court six, Daniel Moreno forced the second set into a tiebreaker. It was a valient effort by the freshman who was unable to hang on 7-6(7), which allowed South Carolina to take the 3-2 lead.

The Gamecocks clinched the match on court three when Raphael Lambling defeated No. 109 Boris Kozlov in three sets, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3.

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#22 South Carolina 4, LSU 2

Singles competition
1. #6 Paul Jubb (SC) def. Shane Monroe (LSU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Rafael Wagner (LSU) def. #119 Daniel Rodrigues (SC) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
3. Raphael Lambling (SC) def. #109 Boris Kozlov (LSU) 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
4. Malik Bhatnagar (LSU) def. Beau Pelletier (SC) 6-1, 6-3
5. Thomas Brown (SC) vs. Joey Thomas (LSU) 6-4, 2-6, 2-3, unfinished
6. Yancy Dennis (SC) def. Daniel Moreno (LSU) 6-2, 7-6 (9-7)

Doubles competition
1. #83 Shane Monroe/Daniel Moreno (LSU) def. Daniel Rodrigues/Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-4
2. Paul Jubb/Yancy Dennis (SC) def. #35 Rafael Wagner/Joey Thomas (LSU) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Beau Pelletier/Jake Beasley (SC) def. Boris Kozlov/Nick Watson (LSU) 6-3

Match Notes:
LSU 16-11; National ranking #42
South Carolina 16-8; National ranking #22
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,4,2,6,3)
Match 2 – SEC Championships