FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The 17th-ranked LSU men’s tennis team won its third-straight match on Wednesday, as the Tigers edged the Arkansas Razorbacks, 4-3, on the road in Fayetteville, Ark.
“It’s always good to get a big Southeastern Conference win on the road,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “We beat a very talented team today in their home, and now we have some time to make some more improvements and prepare for the main stretch of SEC play.”
With the total-team score tied at three-points apiece, LSU’s Sanjin Sadovich overcame a first-set deficit by taking the final-two sets on court No. 4 to clinch the Tigers’ second-SEC victory of the season. Arkansas’ Magnus Kullenberg won the first set of the match, 7-6(5), before Sadovich earned identical 6-4 victories in the second and third sets.
The Tigers improved to an overall record of 8-2 on Wednesday and a 2-1 mark versus SEC competition. With the loss, Arkansas dropped to a 10-4 record on the season and a 1-4 conference record. LSU extended its winning streak versus the Razorbacks to 11-straight matches. The Tigers have not been defeated by Arkansas since a 2-7 loss in 1986.
LSU jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead in the match as the Tigers claimed the doubles point and early wins at the No. 2 and No. 5 singles competitions.
In doubles play, the Tigers’ combination of Ajay Ramaswami and Bryan Fisher defeated Arkansas’ duo of Eduardo Pacheco and Kullenberg, 8-2, on court No. 3 to clinch the point. LSU’s pair of Sadovich and Jesse Smatt displayed a similar dominance over the Razorbacks on court No. 2 with an 8-3 victory over Aleskey Bubis and Oggie Kulev. Sadovich and Smatt remained undefeated in dual-match play and improved to an 8-0 doubles record.
The Tigers’ Dan Kiernan handily defeated Arkansas’ 36th-ranked Henrik Tofft in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, on court No. 2, while Sebastian Rutka netted the third-LSU point of the match at No. 5 singles with a 6-2, 7-5, victory over Tiago Asevado. Kiernan improved to a 9-1 dual-match record on the season and Rutka earned his third-straight singles victory.
“I was really impressed with both our determination in singles and how we competed in the doubles matches today,” Brown said. “Dan (Kiernan) and Sanjin (Sadovich) also stepped it up in singles play and got some huge wins for us, because Arkansas is really strong at the No. 2 and No. 5 positions.”
In the No. 1 singles match, the Tigers’ eighth-ranked Ramaswami took the first set, 7-5, against Arkansas’ Oskar Johansson, but then lost the final-two sets, 6-4, 6-2. The Razorbacks’ Johansson is the top-ranked singles player in the nation and has accumulated a 24-5 overall record this season.
The 17th-ranked men’s tennis team will next be in action on March 16, at 2 p.m., as the Tigers host the Kentucky Wildcats in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
#17 LSU 4, Arkansas 3
Singles
1. #1 Oskar Johansson (UA) def. #8 Ajay Ramaswami (LSU), 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
2. Dan Kiernan (LSU) def. #36 Henrik Tofft (UA), 6-4, 6-3.
3. Oggie Kolev (UA) def. #85 Jesse Smatt (LSU), 6-2, 7-5.
4. Sanjin Sadovich (LSU) def. Magnus Kullenberg (UA), 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4.
5. Sebastian Rutka (LSU) def. Tiago Azevedo (UA), 6-2, 7-5.
6. Aleksey Bubis (UA) def. Bryan Fisher (LSU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Doubles
1. #28 Kiernan/Rutka (LSU) vs. Johansson/Tofft (UA), suspended.
2. Sadovich/Smatt (LSU) def. Bubis/Kolev (UA), 8-3.
3. Fisher/Ramaswami (LSU) def. Kullenberg/Pacheco (UA), 8-2.