By Dalton Ray —
Men’s tennis kicked off their 2017-18 campaign by competing in the 50th annual Southern Intercollegiate Championship, hosted by the University of Georgia.
Senior Nicolas Rouanet defeated Stetson’s Malik Bhatnagar 6-4, 6-2 to win the Division II singles title. Assistant coach Jakob Gustafsson said it’s a great way for Rouanet to start his senior year.
“He didn’t drop a set all tournament and looked really strong all the way through,” Gustafsson said. “He had to deal with fast indoor courts, but adjusted really well. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Rouanet defeated players from East Tennessee, Kennesaw State, Georgia Gwinnett and teammate Ciro Lampasas en route to the championship round.
The Cardinals then moved on to Duke’s James Bonks Invite.
U of L didn’t have the same luck as Lampasas was the only Cardinal to pick up a singles win. Winning 6-2, 7-5, he defeated Auburn’s Alex Mascioli.
In other news for the Cards, junior Chris Morin-Kougoucheff and sophomore Parker Wynn start the year ranked in the ITA preseason rankings. Morin-Kougoucheff starts at No. 73 while Wynn begins at No. 90. They also start the year at No. 29 as a doubles pair.
Louisville heads to Gainesville, Florida on Sept. 22 to compete in the University of Florida’s Gator Ranked +1 Invitational.
You can follow Dalton Ray on Twitter @dray5477.
Photo by Dalton Ray / The Louisville Cardinal
