From lsusports.net

Former LSU tennis player Ken Skupski and doubles partner Colin Fleming fell in straight sets to Bob and Mike Bryan, the No. 2 doubles team in the world, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the second round of the Wimbledon Championships on Monday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

After dropping the first set 6-2, the United Kingdom duo fought hard in the second set to get back in the match. Both teams held serve until the tenth game, but the Bryans broke serve to take the set 6-4 and grab a two sets to love lead.

Skupski and Fleming had a chance to extend the match, forcing a third set tiebreaker after holding serve throughout the set. In the tiebreaker, the Bryans proved to be too much, taking the set 7-6 (5) to clinch the match.

This year marked the third straight Wimbledon appearance for Skupski, who is currently ranked a career-high No. 45 in the ATP individual doubles rankings.

“Ken is reaching an all time high in the rankings and he is on a real upward trend,” said LSU head coach Jeff Brown. “This is a real exciting time for him going forward and a great experience that he can build on.”

The international ranking is the highest ever for a former LSU player. The record was previously held by Brown, who was ranked 47th in March 1991.

Skupski and Fleming have advanced to the second round in their last three Grand Slam appearances, including the French Open and the Australian Open earlier this year.

Skupski also participated in the mixed doubles draw of the Wimbledon Championships with Elena Baltacha. The pair defeated their first-round opponents, Michal Mertinak of Slovakia and Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic, in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 on Saturday to advance to the second round on Monday against Mark Knowles of the Bahamas and Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia.

Skupski and Baltacha got off to a great start, winning the first set 6-4, but they couldn’t hold the momentum as Knowles and Srebotnik took the next two sets 6-2, 6-3 to win the match.

At LSU Skupski excelled in both singles and doubles to leave as one of the most decorated players in the history of the program. The former three-time All-American is fourth in career wins with 104 and also recorded the most doubles victories in a season at 34 with partner Mark Growcott in 2005.

Ken and Colin won their first ever match at Wimbledon by defeating Arnaud Clement and Nicholas Mahut of France in four tight sets.

Flemski had taken the first set on Thursday night had to wait until Saturday lunchtime to complete their match against their French opponents. The resumption couldn’t have gone better for the British pairing as they immediately broke Mahut’s serve and then served brilliantly to clinch the second set.

The 3rd set remained tight but the returning skills of Arnaud Clement proved the difference as the French pair broke Colin’s serve and went on to close out the set.

It looked like we were going to a 5th set when Ken dropped serve early in the 4th but the lads battled back brilliantly to break Clement and take the set into a tiebreak which they won 7-4.

Flemski next play the Bryan brothers on Monday.

Ken and Colin bowed out of the French Open in the second round after losing 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to the number 4 seeds, Weslie Moodie & Dick Norman.

The match was always going to be a big serving contest even on the slow red clay of Paris, but I don’t think anyone could have guessed the match would end up being so close. Flemski had a set point in the first set but couldn’t convert and Moodie/Norman went on to clinch the set on the tie-break. The second set saw the lads fight back with an early break and that solitary break was enough to see them level the match. The 3rd set continued to be incredibly tight and it was probably always going to end in another tie-break. Ken and Colin moved to an early 2-0 lead only to see Moodie/Norman win 6 straight points to take control and ultimately win the match.

The lads now move back home and I’m sure will be looking forward to the grass court season.