The MSU netmen competed in tournament action this weekend at the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide Fall Championship.
The tournament spotlighted players from 18 schools across the country.
Opening matches featured roller coaster moments when early wins turned into late losses.
Florent Girod started the day in Flight A singles and quickly defeated Vedran Sirola of Jacksonville State 6-4, 6-4. His momentum could not carry over into the round of 16 where he lost to Virginia’s Marko Miklo 6-1, 6-0.
In Flight A play Saturday, Girod downed Jan Zelezny of Colorado 6-2, 4-6, 1-0(3), taking the third set in a super tiebreaker. Girod later lost to Miami’s Tim Krebs, in the semifinals of that draw, 6-1, 6-1.
Sophomore Arnaud Roussel produced the stunning upset of the day. He defeated Flight B top seed Peter Bjork of Colorado 7-6(4), 7-6(3). Not to be denied another victory, Roussel later defeated Stuart Misner of Samford 1-6, 6-4, 6-1.
In Flight B play Saturday, Roussel, won his first set against Liron Strauss of Wake Forest in the quarterfinals, but was unable to snag the lead permanently, falling 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-1.
Two MSU promising newcomers, Josh Irey and Jordan Jones lost staggering defeats in round one of Flight C and the Flight C Consolation games. Irey fell at the rackets of Southern Mississippi’s Reid Bourgeois 6-2, 6-4, and Arizona’s Tim Mulane 7-5, 6-2. Kevin Borzenski of Pepperdine 6-0, 6-1, and Neil Sehgal of Miami 6-1, 6-1, defeated Jones.
Irey won over Samford’s Brad Weaver 6-3, 6-4, placing him into the consolation finals where Irey will face his teammate Jones.
In the lone MSU doubles competition of the weekend, Girod and Irey teamed up in Flight B competition. They lost to Arizona’s Mulane and Jason Labrosse 8-2.
In consolation play Sunday they were victorious twice, winning once in Consolation quarterfinals and then again in Consolation semifinals.