Sept. 12, 2003
HOUSTON, Tex. – After a late start and a change of venue due to rain, the Notre Dame men’s tennis team opened the season today at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. The Irish got off to a rough start with three 8-5 losses in the doubles portion before coming back to win eight of nine singles matches.
In Flight A doubles, sophomore Eric Langenkamp (Scarsdale, NY/Scarsdale H.S.) and senior tri-captain Matthew Scott (Oakton, VA/International School of Paris) lost to LSU’s Colt Gaston and Ken Skupski. The pair will face John Matthews and Tom Murray of Tulsa tomorrow. Senior tri-captain Luis Haddock (Caguas, PR/Notre Dame H.S.) and freshman Ryan Keckley (South Bend, IN/St. Joseph H.S.) were beaten by seventh-ranked Bryan Fisher and Jason Hazley of LSU. Haddock and Keckley will take on Tulsa’s Dustin Taylor and Luc Maasdorp next.
In Flight B, sophomore Patrick Buchanan (Fullerton, CA/Servite H.S.) and Irackli Akhvlediani (Vienna, Austria/Vienna International School) dropped a decision to LSU’s Danny Bryan and Brandon Nicholson. Next on the slate is Will Wiggins and Ignacio Melus of Lamar. Freshmen Stephen Bass (Bronxville, NY/Iona Preparatory School) and Bobby McNally (Miami, FL/Gulliver Preparatory School) had a bye and will face Harding Brumby and Roland Robb of Rice tomorrow.
In singles play, Notre Dame’s only loss came as Scott took No. 21 William Barker of Rice to a third-set tiebreaker before falling 7-6, 5-7, 7-6. Scott will square off against 58th-ranked Taylor of Tulsa tomorrow. In another Flight A match, 64th-ranked Haddock topped Tulsa’s Murray 6-0, 6-2, he will face LSU’s Skupski next.
In Fight B action, Buchanan beat LSU?s Fisher 6-4, 6-1 and it was Stephen Bass over Tulsa’s Olaf Sjlund 6-2, 6-3. Buchanan will take on Tulsa’s Shunsuke Shimizu and Bass will face Bryan of LSU tomorrow.
In Flight C, Akhvlediani topped Ricardo Rojas of Tulsa, 6-1, 6-4, while Langenkamp posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory over LSU’s Nicholson. Akhvlediani will be in action against LSU’s Gaston tomorrow and Langenkamp will face Jason Mok of Rice.
The Irish picked up three more wins in Flight D: McNally over Tulsa’s Maasdorp 7-5, 6-4, Keckley beat Eduardo Gutierrez 6-3, 6-2 and junior Jimmy Bass (Bronxville, NY/Iona Preparatory School) topped Rice’s Robb 6-2, 6-4. Tomorrow it will be McNally against Gutierrez, Keckley will take on Robb and Bass will face Maasdorp.
CROWNE PLAZA INVITATIONAL RESULTS – DAY ONE
Flight A Singles
#64 Luis Haddock (ND) def. Tom Murray (Tulsa), 6-0, 6-2
#21 William Barker (Rice) def. Matt Scott (ND), 7-6, 5-7, 7-6
Flight B Singles
Patrick Buchanan (ND) def. Bryan Fisher (LSU), 6-4, 6-1
Stephen Bass (ND) def. Olaf Sjlund (Tulsa) 6-2, 6-3
Flight C Singles
Irackli Akhvlediani (ND) def. Ricardo Rojas (Tulsa), 6-1, 6-4
Eric Langenkamp (ND) def. Brandon Nicholson (LSU), 6-2, 6-2
Flight D Singles
Bobby McNally (ND) def. Luc Maasdorp (Tulsa), 7-5, 6-4
Ryan Keckley (ND) def. Eduardo Gutierrez (Tulsa), 6-3, 6-2
Jimmy Bass (ND) def. Roland Robb (Rice), 6-2, 6-4
Flight A Doubles
Gaston/Skupski (LSU) def. Langenkamp/Scott (ND), 8-5
#7 Fisher/Hazley (LSU) def. Haddock/Keckley (ND), 8-5
Flight B Doubles
S. Bass/McNally (ND), Bye
Bryan/Nicholson (LSU) def. Buchanan/Akhvlediani (Notre Dame), 8-5
— ND —