Jan. 25, 2016
Olle Thestrup
AUBURN, Ala. -- No. 59 Auburn made a comeback in singles and a three-set win by freshman Olle Thestrup at No. 6 clinched a 4-3 victory over No. 54 Cal Poly in second-round action of the 2016 ITA Kickoff Monday at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
"We showed great character today, battling back after losing the doubles point," said Auburn head coach Eric Shore. "In singles, we gave ourselves a chance at every position, and Olle Thestrup clinched the match for us at number six, battling back to win in three sets after losing the first."
Auburn quickly posted wins at the top two singles spots, as Marko Krickovic on court two was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Garret Auproux and Max Hinnisdaels in the top spot defeated Ben Donovan 6-3, 6-4.
Three of the remaining matches went to three sets, with Cal Poly winning two of those before Thestrup's efforts were rewarded. After dropping a close first set 7-5, the freshman from Vaxjo, Sweden, rebounded for a 6-3 score in the second set and captured the final set 6-2 to clinch the match for the Tigers.
Auburn's Conner Huertas del Pino was a 6-4, 7-6 winner over Josh Ortlip in the fourth slot, taking the tiebreaker 10-8 in that match.
Cal Poly won the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. Auburn's tandem of Hinnisdaels and Thestrup was winning 5-3 on court three when the doubles point was decided.
No. 59 Auburn, which recorded its first win over a nationally ranked team this season, is now 3-1 on the season. No. 54 Cal Poly is 0-2.
Auburn's next match comes Friday, February 5, at home vs. No. 64 Troy at 2 p.m. CT. All home matches are played at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.
Auburn 4, Cal Poly 3
Singles
Max Hinnisdaels (AU) def. Ben Donovan (CP) 6-3, 6-4
Marko Krickovic (AU) def. Garrett Auproux (CP) 6-2, 6-3
Corey Pang (CP) def. Dante Saleh (AU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) def. Josh Ortlip (CP) 6-4, 7-6 (10-8)
Axel Damiens (CP) def. Brandon Laubser (AU) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4)
Olle Thestrup (AU) def. Aiku Shintani (CP) 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
Ben Donovan/Corey Pang (CP) def. Marko Krickovic/Edward Nguyen (AU) 6-3
Garrett Auproux/Tim Tan (CP) def. Conner Huertas del Pino/Brandon Laubser (AU) 6-4
Max Hinnisdaels/Olle Thestrup (AU) vs. Karl Enander/Aiku Shintani (CP) 5-3 unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles 1,2; Singles 2,1,5,4,3,6