Louisiana State University Team Page
TULSA, Okla. – LSU men’s tennis sophomore Chris Simpson posted a straight-set win in the first round of the qualifying singles draw at the ITA All-American Championships Monday at Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
The 58th-ranked player in the nation and the qualifying draw’s No. 6 seed, Simpson made quick work of Oregon’s Jeff Mullen, earning a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
“Chris did a good job playing a 6-8, big serving lefty,” head coach Jeff Brown said. “It was a tough matchup for him. The guy hit huge serves, and Chris did a good job of maintaining his composure knowing he wouldn’t break him every time. He got some timely breaks and held his own serve to put the match away.”
With the win Simpson advanced to the second round where he will face long-time friend from England Connor Glennon, the 106th-ranked singles player from Memphis. Simpson and Glennon both graduated in the class of 2011 from Loughborough College before heading to the United States for collegiate tennis. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
Freshman Boris Arias competed in his first collegiate match, displaying grit after dropping the first set, 6-2, to No. 90 Jonathan Brooklyn of Hawaii. Arias rebounded to take a 4-1 lead in the second set before Brooklyn rallied to claim the second set and the match, 6-4.
“With it being his first collegiate match, Boris got a little bit excited and did a good job of coming back,” Brown said. “He wasn’t able to maintain the lead, but he competed very well and has another chance to improve in his upcoming matches.”
The qualifying doubles first and second rounds get underway Tuesday. LSU’s Olivier Borsos and Tam Trinh received a first-round bye and will face the winner of Will Schumacher and Thai Tu of San Francisco or 51st-ranked Alex Domijan and Mac Styslinger of Virginia in the second round. The match is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.
ITA All-American Championships
Tulsa, Okla. – Michael D. Case Tennis Center
October 1
Qualifying Singles first round
#58 (6) Chris Simpson (LSU) def. Jeff Mullen (Oregon) 6-3, 6-2
#90 (28) Jonathan Brooklyn (Hawaii) def. Boris Arias (LSU) 6-2, 6-4
October 2
Qualifying Singles second round
#58 (6) Chris Simpson (LSU) vs. #106 Connor Glennon (Memphis), 1 p.m. CT
Qualifying Doubles second round
Olivier Borsos/Tam Trinh (LSU) vs. Will Schumacher/Thai Tu (San Francisco) OR #51 Alex Domijan/Mac Styslinger (Virginia), 5 p.m.
Tournament Schedule
Qualifying singles first round – Oct. 1
Qualifying singles second/third rounds & Qualifying doubles first/second rounds – Oct. 2
Qualifying singles fourth round & Qualifying doubles third/fourth rounds - Oct. 3
Main Draw singles and doubles – Oct. 4-7