COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The LSU men’s tennis team’s quest for an eighth-consecutive Sweet-16 appearance ended on Sunday, as the Tigers fell to the 16th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, 4-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament here at the A&M Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
“Texas A&M did a very good job of keeping their focus today,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “They played extremely well, especially during the doubles competition, and the crowd helped them to keep their focus. A&M also played with a lot of confidence today and that is from having a good season, and they’ve learned how to do with all of the pressures.”
With Texas A&M leading the overall score of the match 3-0, the Aggies’ senior from Tallahassee, Fla., Keith From, clinched the victory on court No. 2 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over LSU’s Peter Richman. From, who started the season as the 66th-ranked player in the nation, improved his overall record on the season to 16-14 with the crucial victory.
Texas A&M improved to an overall record of 22-6 on Sunday and advanced to its fourth-consecutive NCAA Championships. The Aggies will challenge the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs in the round of 16 on Saturday, May 18. Top-ranked Georgia rolled its way through the opening two rounds of competition with a pair of 4-0 wins over Charleston Southern and South Carolina.
Sunday’s loss marked the second-consecutive time that the Tigers were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by Texas A&M. Last season, the Aggies defeated LSU, 4-1, in the round of 16 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. LSU completed its season with an overall record of 11-14.
LSU fell behind early in the contest as the Aggies’ 15th-ranked combination of Lester Cook and Ryan Newport clinched the vital doubles point with a 9-7 win over LSU’s Dan Kiernan and Jason Hazley on court No. 1. With the score of the match knotted at 7-7, Texas A&M’s doubles pair fought back from a 40-15 deficit in the game to break Hazley’s serve and take control of the contest.
The teams split the doubles matches on courts No. 2 and No. 3 in Sunday’s NCAA second-round battle. The Aggies picked up the first victory of the competition on court No. 3, as Texas A&M’s Derrick Bauer and Ante Matijevic defeated the Tigers’ Bryan Fisher and Brandon Nicholson, 8-4. LSU’s duo of Cory Ross and Sebastian Rutka then answered with a convincing 8-5 win on court No. 2 over the Aggies’ pair of Keith From and Jarin Skube.
In singles play, Texas A&M earned victories on courts No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 to close out the match. The Aggies’ fiery Khaled El Dorry earned the first win on court No. 6 by defeating LSU’s Cory Ross, 6-3, 6-3, while Texas A&M’s Cook dropped Hazley on court No. 3, 6-2, 6-2. With the three straight-set victories in singles play, the Aggies handed the Tigers their third shutout loss of the season.
LSU’s Kiernan will return to College Station, Texas, on Wednesday, May 22, to participate in the NCAA Singles Championships. Kiernan is currently the 52nd-ranked player in the nation and is making his first appearance in the prestigious field of 64. Pairings for the four-day event will be released by the NCAA committee later this week.
#16 Texas A&M 4, #31 LSU 0
Doubles
1. #15 Cook/Newport (A&M) def. Kiernan/Hazley (LSU), 9-7*
2. Ross/Rutka (LSU) def. From/Skube (A&M), 8-5
3. Derrick Bauer/Matijevic (A&M) def. Brandon Nicholson/Fisher (LSU), 8-4
Singles
1. #52 Dan Kiernan (LSU) vs. #44 Ryan Newport, suspended
2. Keith From (A&M) def. Peter Richman (LSU), 6-3, 6-4
3. Lester Cook (A&M) def. Jason Hazley (LSU), 6-2, 6-2
4. Bryan Fisher (LSU) vs. Ante Matijevic (A&M), suspended
5. Sebastian Rutka (LSU) vs. Jarin Skube (A&M), suspended
6. Khaled El Dorry (A&M) def. Cory Ross (LSU), 6-3, 6-3.