April 21, 2011
GAINESVILLE, Fla. The No. 20 Auburn men's tennis team defeated South Carolina, 4-0, Thursday in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Gainesville, Fla. With the win, the Tigers move to 15-8 on the year and will face No. 3 seed Kentucky at 8 a.m. CT, Friday.
"It was a very good match. They were ready to play, and they fought hard," Auburn head coach Eric Shore said. "We came ready to play as well, and we got the job done."
In doubles, Auburn's No. 69 Alex Stamchev and Andreas Mies defeated South Carolina's Nick Jones and Ivan Machado, 8-3. On court three, the Tigers' Lucas Lopasso and Rafael Rondino secured the doubles point after topping the Gamecocks' Harry Menzies and Chris Sheehan, 8-5. In the No. 1 position, Auburn's No. 19 Tim Puetz and Daniel Cochrane were ahead on South Carolina's Chip Cox and Alexander Kostanov, 6-4, before doubles was suspended.
In singles, Auburn's Andreas Mies picked up a straight-set victory over Harry Menzies, 6-0, 6-0, on court six. In the No. 2 spot, Alex Stamchev toppled Ivan Machado, 6-3, 6-3. Auburn freshman Daniel Cochrane secured the victory by beating Nick Jones, 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Tomorrow morning, Tigers will square off with the Wildcats of Kentucky at 8 a.m. CT. The two teams previously met at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on March 26, with Auburn taking the 4-1 victory.
"Kentucky is 11th in the country, and we played one of our better matches against them," said Shore. "We are going to have to step up if we want to have a chance tomorrow morning."
The Tigers and Wildcats have met five times in the SEC Tournament, with Auburn holding a 4-1 lead. Most recently, Kentucky bested the Tigers in the 2008 Tournament, winning 4-2 in the first round. Live stats for tomorrow's match can be found at www.GatorZone.com.
Against South Carolina
Singles
1. No. 16 Tim Puetz (AU) vs. Alexander Kostanov (USC) 6-2, 6-6 (5-1), unfinished
2. Alex Stamchev (AU) def. Ivan Machado (USC) 6-3, 6-3
3. Tim Hewitt (AU) vs. Chip Cox (USC) 3-6, 6-3, 1-3, unfinished
4. Daniel Cochrane (AU) def. Nick Jones (USC) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
5. Andreas Mies (AU) def. Harry Menzies (USC) 6-0, 6-0
6. Rafael Rondino (AU) vs. Jake Bowling (USC) 4-6, 6-1, 3-2, unfinished
Doubles
1. No. 19 Tim Puetz/Daniel Cochrane (AU) vs. Chip Cox/Alexander Kostanov (USC) 6-4, unfinished
2. No. 69 Alex Stamchev/Andreas Mies (AU) def. Nick Jones/Ivan Machado (USC) 8-3
3. Lucas Lopasso/Rafael Rondino (AU) def. Harry Menzies/Chris Seehan (USC) 8-5
Match Notes:
University of South Carolina 6-18 (1-10 SEC)
Auburn University 14-8 (6-5 SEC); National ranking #20
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (5,2,4)
SEC Tournament First Round -- Gainesville, Fla.