DURHAM, N.C. – No. 9 Auburn’s season came to a close Friday night with a 4-2 loss to No. 8 Duke in the NCAA Super Regionals at Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Tigers trailed 3-0, fought back with two singles wins and forced third sets on two other courts, but ultimately dropped the instant classic to the Blue Devils.
“The girls fought really hard,” Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said. “We put ourselves in a really tough spot. Credit to the girls for continuing to fight and giving themselves an opportunity to potentially win the match. We're just going to try to find ways to not be in that position in the future. It was an amazing fight and we nearly pulled it off.”
In doubles, Duke claimed a 6-4 win at the No. 3 position to set the tone. Auburn’s top duo, DJ Bennett and Ava Hrastar, picked up an early break over No. 20 Irina Balus and Ellie Coleman to take a 3-1 lead that led to a 6-2 victory.
On Court 2, Auburn’s Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat went back and forth with Duke’s Shavit Kimchi and Elana Yu. With the match tied at five, Kimchi and Yu won the next two games to take the match and clinch the doubles point for Duke.
Duke kept the momentum early in singles, winning the first set on four courts and converting straight-set wins at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions to take a 3-0 lead.
At No. 3 singles, Auburn graduate student Ava Hrastar earned a break to take a 4-3 lead in the first set against No. 25 Emma Jackson before winning 6-3. She kept that momentum in the second, winning three of the first four games and closing it out 6-3, 6-2 to put Auburn on the board. In Hrastar’s final collegiate match, the win marked the 75th singles victory of her career.
With three matches remaining, Bennett saved multiple match points in the second set against No. 61 Liv Hovde on the top singles court. Hovde won the first set and led 5-3 in the second before Bennett won consecutive games on deciding points to force a tiebreaker. Bennett took a 5-1 lead and claimed the tiebreak 8-6. Their match was later abandoned during a third-set tiebreak.
On Court 2, Okutoyi turned an early 4-1 lead into a first-set win over No. 26 Irina Balus. Balus answered with a 6-4 second-set win to force a third. Okutoyi rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the set at 4-4, then broke at 5-5 and held serve to win and bring Auburn within one at 3-2.
Angella Okutoyi wins in three sets on court ✌️
— Auburn Women's Tennis (@AuburnWTennis) May 10, 2025
Tigers trail 3️⃣-2️⃣#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/XGt0EFKe1x
After dropping the first set, Refaat rallied to win the second over No. 72 Elana Yu at No. 4 singles. Yu jumped ahead 3-1 in the third, but Refaat tied it at 3-3. The two traded games until Yu pulled away for a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win to clinch the match for Duke.
At one point, both Bennett and Refaat were one point away from winning their matches simultaneously in the narrow defeat.
“We had a great year in so many aspects, but in a lot of aspects we fell short too,” Szabo said. “Now it’s back to the drawing board. I'm proud of the girls’ effort and the staff's effort all year long. We need to learn from this, grow from this and find ways to reach greater heights. I'm thankful to the players for bringing their best every single day throughout the season.”
In Szabo’s first season on the Plains, the Tigers reached the NCAA Super Regional for the fifth time in program history, tied the school record for wins in a season (25) and matched the program’s highest ITA national team ranking at No. 4 on Feb. 20. Auburn finishes the season with a 25-7 record.
#8 Duke 4, #9 Auburn 2
Singles Results:
- #61 Liv Hovde (DUKE) vs. #4 DJ Bennett (AUB) 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-6 (6-5), unfinished
- #53 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. #26 Irina Balus (DUKE) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
- #57 Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. #25 Emma Jackson (DUKE) 6-3, 6-2
- #72 Eleana Yu (DUKE) def. #64 Merna Refaat (AUB) 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
- #95 Shavit Kimchi (DUKE) def. Ava Esposito (AUB) 6-3, 6-0
- #98 Ellie Coleman (DUKE) def. Alice Battesti (AUB) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles Results:
- #13 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. #20 Irina Balus/Ellie Coleman (DUKE) 6-2
- Shavit Kimchi/Eleana Yu (DUKE) def. #46 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) 7-5
- Emma Jackson/Liv Hovde (DUKE) def. Ava Esposito/Maria Garcia (AUB) 6-4
Time of match: 3:58; Order of finish: Doubles: 3,1,2; Singles: 5,6,3,2,4