AUSTIN, Tx – Freshman Olaf Pieczkowski achieved the near-impossible – down 5-2 in the deciding set, he reeled off five straight games to complete the comeback, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 against the No. 4 player in the nation, Sebastian Gorzny. No. 6 LSU toppled No. 2 Texas in a 4-3 decision to log its best win of the season.

LSU improves to 15-2 and 3-1 in the SEC, handing Texas its first conference loss as they fall to 13-4 and 4-1 in the SEC.

“Beating No. 2 Texas on the road is huge for the program and the players,” said head coach Danny Bryan. “It took some great efforts, starting with Olaf and Enzo [Kohlmann] in doubles, who really stepped up and got the win for us. Then Matias [Ponce de Leon] and Erik [Arutiunian] were able to close it out and get us the point. In singles, we have Alessio [Vasquez] back in the lineup playing well, and then Erik beating a top player at the second court. Then, obviously, Olaf was legendary. Playing the No. 4 player in the country, on the road and in the last match, down 5-2 in the third set, and finding a way to come back and win. That was quite the performance – I’m really happy for the guys.”

Pieczkowski and Kohlmann made their return to the third spot together, where they hold a 4-0 record on the season. This time out, they faced Sebastian Eriksson and Jonah Braswell. Every court held tight battles from the jump, this one no different – trading service games with both teams looking for an opportunity to forge ahead. Level at 3-3, the Tigers were the first to move ahead, stealing a break and holding their next serve to take a 5-3 advantage. Although the Longhorns were able to get one more game past, they could not generate enough momentum to stop LSU’s rhythm. On their second match point, Pieczkowski and Kohlmann closed the set at 6-4. They improved their perfect record on court three, as well as pushing their season mark together to 5-1.

No. 59 Arutiunian and Ponce de Leon posted up on the No. 2 court, where they have only one loss together so far. They matched up against Mariano Dedura-Palomero and Abel Forger in a tense battle. The duo suffered a break in their opening game, quickly falling to a 2-0 deficit. They got back on track, notching their first game of the match to bring it to 2-1. Each team continued to fight through service games to reach a 3-4 mark. Here, Arutiunian and Ponce de Leon struck, tying the match at four games apiece before taking a 5-4 lead in the following frame. After multiple scares, including a match point save by Texas, the match entered a deciding tiebreak. The Tigers led at the switch, 4-2, knowing the doubles clinch was on the table. They built a comfortable lead reaching 6-3, and while the Longhorns were able to squeeze another point by, they put the match away 7-6(4) thanks to a rocket of a return from Ponce de Leon. LSU earned the crucial doubles point against Texas to take an early 1-0 lead.

Ponce de Leon made his third appearance at the sixth spot today, matched up with Luca Marionneau. Each player split the opening games, holding their serves to land at 1-1. Marionneau secured the first break of the match to move ahead 2-1 and began to build separation. Ponce de Leon was able to hang in the set, continuing to hold for the next two games, but Marionneau continued to apply pressure. Up 4-3, he took consecutive games to close the opening set, 6-3. In the second set, Marionneau jumped out quickly, racing to a 3-0 lead. Ponce de Leon got on the board to make it 3-1, but Marionneau maintained control and carried the momentum through the remainder of the set, closing out the match with a 6-1 second-set win. Texas tied it up, 1-1.

No. 54 Arutiunian faced his second top-25 opponent this season in No. 20 Kalin Ivanovski at the second spot. Arutiunian imposed his will right out of the gate, breaking at his second opportunity to take a 2-1 advantage. He remained in command, notching the next three games to advance to 5-1. Ivanovski logged his last game of the set before the Belarus native wrapped it, 6-2. Arutiunian lost nothing heading into the next set, surging out with a break in the initial game, eventually taking a 2-1 lead. The pattern of the first set mirrored that of the second, with Arutiunian at 5-2, looking to put the match away. However, Ivanovski made one final push to get himself back in the match, stealing a break and holding his next serve to make it 5-4. After giving up two consecutive games for the first time in the match, Arutiunian did not falter – dominant serves pushed him over the finish line, concluding with a 6-4 second set. He extended his current winning streak to six, as LSU regained the lead over Texas, 2-1.

At the fifth spot for the Tigers stood Sasa Markovic, sharing the court with Braswell, who represented the Longhorns. The opening set stayed tight early as both players matched each other’s holds to reach 2-2. At this point, Braswell claimed the first break to help give him a larger cushion at 4-2. Markovic kept himself within striking distance before answering with a break of his own to level it again at four games apiece. The two continued to battle, but Braswell found another timely break at 5-5, before serving out the set at 7-5. The following set had more of the same in store, following a back-and-forth battle to reach 2-2. A little later than in the previous set, Braswell regained the edge and began to pull away after logging another late break. Markovic could not fight back this time, the set reaching its end at 6-3. Texas brought the score level again at 2-2.

Vasquez made his presence felt today on court four in a clash with his first ranked opponent this season in No. 65 Forger. The first set was full of unpredictable swings of momentum. It began with Vasquez claiming the first break to move ahead 2-1 before Forger fired right back to level it again. This gave him energy, as he completed his three-game run to take a 4-2 lead. Vasquez fought back, rallying four of the next five to bring the set to five games all. Here, the final break took place as Vasquez went ahead 6-5, setting himself up to serve it out and wrap the opening set, 7-5. Uncertainty lingered in the second set, as Vasquez went down 2-1 before clawing his way back with a clutch hold and then some to make it 4-2. At this point, he imposed his will, keeping the edge before serving it out in a 6-4 win. In just his fourth match back, Vasquez earned his first ranked win of the season and put LSU a game away from winning the match at 3-2.

No. 117 Andrej Loncarevic entered court three with his toughest foe yet this season in No. 37 Eriksson. The two settled into the match, finding their rhythm as they approached a 2-2 stalemate. The set gradually progressed, neither player able to take a swing until the score reached 5-4. Seeking to avoid giving up his first break of the match, Loncarevic saved a set point to stay in it until a deciding tiebreak ensued. He fell behind after the first few points, down 4-2 at the switch. From there, Loncarevic was able to keep it close, but came up short as Eriksson took the set, 7-6(5). Energy was high on the Longhorns’ sideline, and Eriksson flourished from it. He surged to a 3-1 margin, keeping the upper hand until 5-2. Loncarevic struck hard to stay in the match, saving three match points to steal back a break in an attempt to close the gap, but it proved too much of a deficit to overcome. Eriksson closed the match 6-3, turning all eyes to the decider on the top court as LSU and Texas were tied at 3-3.

At the No. 1 court, Pieczkowski settled in for a duel with a senior who has been going at it for a long time now – Austin native, No. 4 Gorzny. Pieczkowski took a long time to find his rhythm in the match, falling into a 4-0 hole quickly. At this point, he looked to find his footing to make it a competitive second set. The freshman held his service games for the remainder of the set until it wrapped at 6-3. The second set saw Pieczkowski rebound early, holding and trading games to reach 3-2. A key break put him ahead 4-2 before he extended it to 5-2. Although Gorzny saved a set point at 5-3, Pieczkowski stayed composed to take the set 6-3 to force a decisive third set. In the decider, Gorzny reclaimed what he built in the first set, storming to a 4-1 advantage. At 5-2, the match appeared to be over, even after Pieczkowski held to make it 5-3. However, the freshman dug deep, throwing the senior off his game with a necessary break to stay in the match, bringing himself back on serve and eventually tying it at 5-5. He continued to ride that surge, completely dismantling Gorzny on his home court to notch the final two games. Pieczkowski completed an improbable five-game run to clinch the match for the Tigers in a three-set comeback that ended with a 7-5 mark in the final set, improving his winning streak to four.

Up Next

The team is looking forward to a large crowd to welcome them home to The ‘Plex, as LSU battles Tennessee on March 8 at 12:00 p.m. CT, followed by Southern Miss at 5:00 p.m. CT.

LSU vs Texas
Mar 06, 2026 at Austin, Texas
Texas Tennis Center
#6 LSU 4, #2 Texas 3

Singles competition
1. Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. #4 Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
2. #54 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. #20 Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) 6-2, 6-4
3. #37 Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. #117 Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
4. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) def. #65 Abel Forger (TEX) 7-5, 6-4
5. Jonah Braswell (TEX) def. Sasa Markovic (LSU) 7-5, 6-3
6. Lucas Marionneau (TEX) def. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. #13 Sebastian Gorzny/Lucas Marionneau (TEX) vs. #66 Sasa Markovic/Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 6-5, unfinished
2. #59 Matias Ponce De Leon/Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. Abel Forger/M Dedura-Palomero (TEX) 7-6 (7-4)
3. Enzo Kohlmann/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. Sebastian Eriksson/Jonah Braswell (TEX) 6-4

Match Notes:
LSU 15-2, 3-1 SEC; National ranking #6
Texas 13-4, 4-1 SEC; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,2,5,4,3,1)