KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – An impressive 6-1 win over LSU Saturday for the No. 20 Tennessee men’s tennis team capped an undefeated weekend at home for the Vols.
The win marked a second consecutive 6-1 victory in conference action for the Big Orange.
Tennessee (11-5, 2-1 SEC) won the doubles point for the 14th time this season. UT’s fourth-ranked pairing of Johannus Monday and Pat Harper took court one, 6-4, over #35 Stefan Latinovic and Nick Watson. Harper’s down-the-line return winner put the Vols up a break at 4-3 and the duo rolled from there.
Emile Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui, ranked 50th on the doubles courts, battled past Chen Dong and Welsh Hotard, 6-4, on court two to clinch the doubles point over LSU (8-5, 0-4 SEC).
“We work incredibly hard on doubles,” head coach Chris Woodruff said. “We have to keep at it. I’m appreciative of the effort these guys put in and I’m appreciative of the fact that we’re winning that doubles point, because that makes singles play in our conference a lot easier if you can start out 1-0.”
Blaise Bicknell clinched the match for Tennessee on court three, taking down Dong in straight sets, 7-6(2), 6-4. Bicknell controlled the first-set tiebreaker, winning it 7-2, before capturing the win. Tennessee’s first point in singles came on court six, with Tomas Rodriguez taking down Julien Penzlin, 6-0, 6-4. The second set was tied at 4-4 before Rodriguez ended the match with a break and a hold.
The Vols took a 3-0 lead with #62 Hudd’s 6-4, 6-4, win on court two over LSU’s Latinovic. Hudd broke Latinovic without dropping a point to go up 5-4 in set two. Following Bicknell’s clinch, seventh-ranked Monday battled past 55th-ranked Ronald Hohmann in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The match was concluded with Angel Diaz’s 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory at the No. 5 singles spot over the Tigers’ George Stoupe.
UP NEXT
Tennessee embarks on its first multi-match SEC road trip of the season next week, traveling south to face Alabama on Thursday, March 16, at 5 p.m. ET, before facing seventh-ranked Georgia in Athens on Saturday, March 18, at 4 p.m. ET.
RESULTS: Tennessee 6, LSU 1
Doubles
1. #4 Johannus Monday/Pat Harper (UT) def. #35 Stefan Latinovic/Nick Watson (LSU) 6-4
2. #50 Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. Chen Dong/Welsh Hotard (LSU) 6-4
3. Angel Diaz/Tomas Rodriguez (UT) vs. Julien Penzlin/George Stoupe (LSU) 5-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: (1,2)
The win marked a second consecutive 6-1 victory in conference action for the Big Orange.
Tennessee (11-5, 2-1 SEC) won the doubles point for the 14th time this season. UT’s fourth-ranked pairing of Johannus Monday and Pat Harper took court one, 6-4, over #35 Stefan Latinovic and Nick Watson. Harper’s down-the-line return winner put the Vols up a break at 4-3 and the duo rolled from there.
Emile Hudd and Shunsuke Mitsui, ranked 50th on the doubles courts, battled past Chen Dong and Welsh Hotard, 6-4, on court two to clinch the doubles point over LSU (8-5, 0-4 SEC).
“We work incredibly hard on doubles,” head coach Chris Woodruff said. “We have to keep at it. I’m appreciative of the effort these guys put in and I’m appreciative of the fact that we’re winning that doubles point, because that makes singles play in our conference a lot easier if you can start out 1-0.”
Blaise Bicknell clinched the match for Tennessee on court three, taking down Dong in straight sets, 7-6(2), 6-4. Bicknell controlled the first-set tiebreaker, winning it 7-2, before capturing the win. Tennessee’s first point in singles came on court six, with Tomas Rodriguez taking down Julien Penzlin, 6-0, 6-4. The second set was tied at 4-4 before Rodriguez ended the match with a break and a hold.
The Vols took a 3-0 lead with #62 Hudd’s 6-4, 6-4, win on court two over LSU’s Latinovic. Hudd broke Latinovic without dropping a point to go up 5-4 in set two. Following Bicknell’s clinch, seventh-ranked Monday battled past 55th-ranked Ronald Hohmann in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
The match was concluded with Angel Diaz’s 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 victory at the No. 5 singles spot over the Tigers’ George Stoupe.
UP NEXT
Tennessee embarks on its first multi-match SEC road trip of the season next week, traveling south to face Alabama on Thursday, March 16, at 5 p.m. ET, before facing seventh-ranked Georgia in Athens on Saturday, March 18, at 4 p.m. ET.
RESULTS: Tennessee 6, LSU 1
Doubles
1. #4 Johannus Monday/Pat Harper (UT) def. #35 Stefan Latinovic/Nick Watson (LSU) 6-4
2. #50 Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui (UT) def. Chen Dong/Welsh Hotard (LSU) 6-4
3. Angel Diaz/Tomas Rodriguez (UT) vs. Julien Penzlin/George Stoupe (LSU) 5-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: (1,2)
Singles
1. #7 Johannus Monday (UT)…
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