March 5, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 49 Auburn men's tennis team (8-6) opened its SEC season Sunday hosting No. 14 Mississippi State (8-3), with the Bulldogs taking a hard-fought 4-2 win at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"I thought our guys played really well," Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds said. "You look up and down the court and if you could pause it at any certain time, we were just one point away from winning the match against a top-ranked team.
"I told the guys that I'm proud of what they put out there and if they keep trying to put one step in front of the other match after match, we're going to get a lot of SEC wins. We didn't get the result we were looking for today, but it's a process, and I know at some point these guys will break through."
Auburn started the afternoon strong, capturing the doubles point. The Tigers' top tandem of Max Hinnisdaels and Conner Huertas del Pino, ranked No. 17 nationally, posted a 6-2 win over Trevor Forshey and Niclaus Braun, ranked No. 26 nationally. The Tigers clinched the doubles point when Edward Nguyen and Brandon Laubser posted a 6-3 win over Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter on court two.
In singles, Brandon Laubser playing on court six gave Auburn its first singles point of the afternoon, defeating Trevor Foshey 6-4, 6-2.
Carles Sarrio and Conner Huertas del Pino won their first sets, and extended their matches to a third set, but Strahinja Rakic of MSU picked up the win over Sarrio on court two 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 to clinch the match. Mississippi State posted straight-set singles wins on courts one, four and five.
Next up, the Tigers host Alabama in an SEC match Saturday, March 11, at 3 p.m. All home matches are at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.
Mississippi State 4, Auburn 2
Singles
#4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #59 Max Hinnisdaels (AU) 6-2, 6-1
Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Carles Sarrio (AU) 6-7 (10-8), 6-3, 7-5
Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) vs. Mate Cutura (MSU) 6-4, 6-7 (10-8), 2-5 unfinished
Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Edward Nguyen (AU) 6-3, 6-4
Niclaus Braun (MSU) def. Olle Thestrup (AU) 7-6, 6-3
Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Trevor Forshey (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
#17 Max Hinnisdaels/Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) def. #26 Trevor Forshey/Niclaus Braun (MSU) 6-2
Edward Nguyen/Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-3
Dante Saleh/Olle Thestrup (AU) vs. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 5-5 unfinished
Time of Match: 3:19; Order of Finish: Doubles: 1,2; Singles: 1,6,4,5,2