Jan. 27, 2012
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AUBURN - The 20th-ranked Auburn men's tennis team earned its second sweep in as many matches as the Tigers took down Middle Tennessee 7-0 on Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn (2-0) won four singles matches in straight sets, one three-set affair and one that was decided by a super tiebreaker. The Blue Raiders fell to 0-2 in dual-match action this season but gave the Tigers a tough fight for much of the day.
"Middle Tennessee did a good job after doubles of coming back," Auburn head coach Eric Shore said. "They played very hard, and they pushed us. But we needed that. We've got to get better, and we know it. It's going to be a lot tougher on Sunday (at Georgia Tech). Overall, we played better in doubles, but in singles, we know we've got to get better."
Alex Stamchev and Daniel Cochrane improved to 7-0 as a doubles team this season with a dominating 8-1 win at the No. 1 position over MTSU's Ben Davis and Christoph Lang. Stamchev, now with 95 career doubles victories, is one win shy of tying the all-time Auburn record for doubles wins, currently held by Stephen Huss.
The Tigers made it a sweep in the doubles competition as Lucas Lopasso and Rafael Rondino made short work of Matthew Langley and Ettore Zito at the No. 3 position, 8-1. And Andreas Mies and Lukas Ollert had a successful doubles debut at No. 2 with an 8-4 win over Yannick Born and Marlon Brand.
In singles, Ollert improved to 2-0 as a Tiger with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Dimitri Pippos on court six, ending his match just a few seconds before Rondino finished off Born on court five, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3. The Tigers clinched the match when Lopasso recovered from a second-set loss to defeat Lang at the No. 4 position, 6-1, 1-6, 6-1.
Stamchev saw his match on court two with Langley head to a third-set super tiebreaker before the Auburn senior took the victory, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7). At the No. 1 position, No. 18-ranked Mies held off a tough fight from MTSU's Davis to take a 6-2, 7-5 victory. And Cochrane, in his 2012 singles debut, outlasted Zito of MTSU, 6-2, 7-6 (7-2).
The Tigers will have a quick turnaround as they travel to Atlanta on Sunday for the 2012 ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Auburn will face No. 19 Georgia Tech at noon CT Sunday before squaring off with either No. 15 Illinois or No. 18 North Carolina on Monday.
Auburn Men's Tennis Results
No. 20 Auburn 7, Middle Tennessee 0
Jan. 27, 2012 - Yarbrough Tennis Center - Auburn, Ala.
Singles
1. #18 Andreas Mies (AU) def. Ben Davis (MTSU), 6-2, 7-5
2. Alex Stamchev (AU) def. Matthew Langley (MTSU), 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-7)
3. Daniel Cochrane (AU) def. Ettore Zito (MTSU), 6-2, 7-6 (7-2)
4. Lucas Lopasso (AU) def. Christoph Lang (MTSU), 6-1, 1-6, 6-1
5. Rafael Rondino (AU) def. Yannick Born (MTSU), 7-6 (8), 6-3
6. Lukas Ollert (AU) def. Dimitri Pippos (MTSU), 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: 6, 5, 4, 2, 1, 3
Doubles
1. Alex Stamchev/Daniel Cochrane (AU) def. Ben Davis/Christoph Lang (MTSU), 8-1
2. Andreas Mies/Lukas Ollert (AU) def. Yannick Born/Marlon Brand (MTSU), 8-4
3. Lucas Lopasso/Rafael Rondino (AU) def. Matthew Langley/Ettore Zito (MTSU), 8-1
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Match Notes
Auburn 2-0, National ranking #20
Middle Tennessee 0-2