March 30, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - No. 48 Auburn took advantage of strong singles play to capture a 5-2 SEC men's tennis victory Thursday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. The match began outdoors, but rain and lightning during doubles forced the action indoors for the remainder of play.
"I thought our guys fought well in singles. After the doubles, they got pushed around a little bit emotionally and they responded well," said Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds. "Almost all SEC matches are must wins, but this definitely was one we needed to win. It keeps our hopes alive for the postseason and puts us in a position to keep going.
"To win that many third-set matches is a testament to the guys and all the hard work they've put in. I'm proud of the way the guys fought. Our guys did what they needed to do at crunch time and pulled it out."
In doubles, Dante Saleh and Olle Thestrup picked up a 6-3 win for Auburn on court three, but Tennessee took the other two doubles matches to capture the team doubles point.
In singles, Auburn won the first set in five of the six matches. Senior Dante Saleh tied the match at 1-1 with a 6-0, 6-2 straight set win on court six over Tennessee's Sunay Bhat, and the Tigers had to get the rest of their points with third-set wins.
On court one, No. 67 Max Hinnisdaels upset No. 34 Timo Stodder of Tennessee by a 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 score. Edward Nguyen added a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory on court five over Luca Wiedenmann, and Conner Huertas del Pino clinched the victory with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 win over Scott Jones on court three.
Olle Thestrup picked up a bonus point after the match was clinched, winning 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on court four over Srdjan Jakovljevic.
The Tigers are now 12-9 overall, and 3-4 in SEC play. Tennessee is now 9-10 and 1-6 in SEC action.
Saturday, Auburn entertains No. 14 Georgia (12-6, 8-0) at 3 p.m. All home matches are at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free. On Saturday, the first fans in attendance will receive an Auburn Tennis insulated tumbler, along with t-shirts, koozies and sunglasses.
Auburn 5, Tennessee 2
Singles
#67 Max Hinnisdaels (AU) def. #34 Timo Stodder (UT) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
Luis Valero (UT) def. Carles Sarrio (AU) 6-3, 7-5
Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) def. Scott Jones (UT) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4
Olle Thestrup (AU) def. Srdjan Jakovljevic (UT) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
Dante Saleh (AU) def. Sunay Bhat (UT) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
Valero/Stodder (UT) def. #18 Hinnisdaels/Huertas del Pino (AU) 6-4
Wiedenmann/Jakovljevic (UT) def. Nguyen/Brandon Laubser (AU) 6-4
Saleh/Thestrup (AU) def. Jones/Bhat (UT) 6-3
Time of Match: 3:00; Order of Finish: Doubles: 3,2,1; Singles: 6,2,1,5,3,4