Mississippi State
ITA All-American Championships
Bulldogs Conclude Pre-Qualifying Play At ITA All-American
September 30, 2013 | Men's Tennis
TULSA, Okla. – Pre-qualifying play at the 2013 ITA All-American Championships came to an end for the Mississippi State men's tennis squad Sunday, as freshmen Florian Lakat and Robin Haden were eliminated from competition.
The day began with Haden facing off against UT-San Antonio's Yannick Junger in second-round play, falling 6-2, 6-1. Haden then moved into the pre-qualifying consolation bracket for one match. Haden faced Winthrop's Dylan Comerford, taking the match 6-4, 6-4 to earn his first career collegiate victory.
Lakat followed up his first round victory Saturday with another in the second round Sunday against Utah's Cedric Willems. After dropping the first set 6-4 and falling down a break at 3-2 to open the second, Lakat stormed back to force a third set, where he shutout Willems to take the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-0. Lakat then moved into the fourth round, where he faced Northwestern's Sam Shropshire, falling 6-3, 6-4 and ending his run in the tourney.
Attention now shifts to qualifying play, which is set to begin Monday. The Bulldogs will have sophomore Jordan Angus, ranked No. 113 in the nation, in play. Angus will need four victories to advance to the main draw, which begins Thursday, Oct. 3.
For more information on Mississippi State men's tennis and updates throughout the 2013 ITA All-American Championships, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (@HailStateMT), Facebook (HailStateMT) and Instagram (HailStateMT). Mississippi State athletics can also be found on FanCred by going to http://www.fancred.com/go/hailstate/.
MSU Results At The 2013 ITA All-American Championships
September 29, 2013 – Tulsa, Okla.
Singles – Pre-Qualifying
Second Round – Yannick Junger (UT-San Antonio) def. Robin Haden (MSU) 6-2, 6-1; Florian Lakat (MSU) def. Cedric Willems (Utah) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
Third Round – Sam Shropshire (Northwestern) def. Lakat (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
Singles – Pre-Qualifying Consolation
First Round – Haden (MSU) def. Dylan Comerford (Winthrop) 6-4, 6-4
Numbers preceding names are current national rankings; tournament seedings in brackets
