FRISCO, Texas (SMU) – Liam Krall won the singles title and SMU men's tennis went a combined 15-3 in The Lakes Collegiate Invitational in Frisco this weekend. Krall, Caleb Chakravarthi, Adam Neff and Ivan Thamma represented the Mustangs in the opening fall tournament against Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Baylor and Rice.
 
The Mustangs were 6-0 in doubles for the event. Thamma and Neff paired to go 3-0 in doubles while Chakravarthi and Krall also went 3-0 on the weekend. Each duo had to win one tiebreaker to stay perfect for the tournament.
 
Krall, the 2021 American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, won all three matchups on the top singles line of the round-robin event. His final matchup was a 3-set thriller over Justin Schlageter of Oklahoma 7-6 (4), 2-6, 6-3.
 
"Incredible opportunity for me to play my first fall tournament after not getting to play last September," said Krall. "I am so grateful for the chance to compete and to Nick Johnson for having us and hosting a tournament."

Thamma, playing his first matches as a graduate transfer at SMU after an All-Big West season at UC Davis in 2021, also went 3-0 in singles. He won each match in straight sets.
 
Neff was playing his first tournament for the Mustangs after transferring from North Carolina. He went 2-1 in singles, winning in straight sets versus Texas Tech and Rice before falling in the matchup with Oklahoma.
 
Chakravarthi played at No. 1 and No. 2 singles for the Mustangs last season. He was 1-2 on the weekend, winning against Rice in straight sets.

"So exciting to get back on the court and feels great to compete. We saw some positives and definitely things we need to work on," stated Head Coach Grant Chen. "Overall, it was a good way to start the season. I want to thank tournament director and Lakes Academy owner Nick Johnson for hosting high-level tournament. The competition was fierce and the fans created a amazing environment for the student athletes. So happy for Ivan for going undefeated showing tons of experience, Adam for getting his first couple wins as a Mustang. Caleb showed a lot of positives after coming back from injury. Tons of credit to Liam for playing high-level tennis after working so hard in the summer off season training. Lots more tennis to come this fall."

Both Texas Tech and Oklahoma made the second round of the 2021 NCAA Championship, and Baylor reach the national title match. Baylor was No. 2, Texas Tech No. 24 and Oklahoma No. 28 in the final 2020-21 ITA Rankings.

The next tournament is the Roadrunner Invitational hosted by UTSA in San Antonio Sept. 24-26.
 

Friday (5-1)
Thamma/Neff (SMU) def Hotard/Han (Oklahoma) 8-7(5)
Chakravarthi/Krall (SMU) def Schlageter (OU)/Muza (Baylor) 8-2
Neff def. Vittar (Texas Tech) 6-2,6-4
Krall def. Ribiero (Texas Tech) 6-3,6-3
Thamma def. Sekiguchi (Texas Tech) 6-0,6-3
Arevalo (Texas Tech) def Chakravarthi 6-3,4-6,6-2
 
Saturday (6-0)
Thamma/Neff def. Ribiero/Vittar (Texas Tech) 8-4
Chakravarthi/Krall def. Arezalo/Sekiguchi (Texas Tech) 8-7(5)
Krall defeats Heap (Rice) 6-3,4-6,6-1
Chakravarthi def Salmon (Rice) 6-3,6-2
Neff defeats Greer (Rice) 6-2,6-1
Thamma def Barnett (Rice) 6-4,6-0
 
Sunday (4-2)
Thamma/Neff def. Salmon/Heap (Rice) 8-2
Chakravarthi/Krall def Grear/Barnett (Rice) 8-6
Krall defeats Schlageter (OU) 7-6(4),2-6,6-3
Han (OU) def Chakravarthi 6-3,6-3
Hotard (OU) def Neff 7-6(3),6-3
Thamma def Muza (Baylor) 6-3,6-3