Oct. 22, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn women's tennis sophomore Taylor Russo advanced to the ITA Southern Regional Championship Singles Final after winning two matches in the quarter and semifinal rounds on Sunday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Russo got the day started with a big win over No. 63 Ryann Foster of LSU in the quarterfinals in a 6-2, 6-3 decision. After a brief break, the Deerfield Beach, Fla. product then turned her attention towards Mississippi State's Sara Lizariturry in the semifinal. Russo won the match 6-4, 6-3 to advance to Monday's championship final.
"I am so proud of the way that Taylor has performed this weekend in the regional," head coach Lauren Spencer said. "She has been outstanding in every match she has played and has some very impressive wins under her belt. I'm excited to watch her perform tomorrow in the final in what should be a really great match."
With the win, Russo becomes the fifth Tiger in five-straight seasons to play for a title at the ITA Southern Regional under Spencer. Seniors Alizee Michaud and Andie Dikosavljevic advanced to and won the singles championships in 2016 and 2015, respectively, while Pleun Burgmans won the doubles title in 2014 and both the singles and doubles titles in 2013.
No. 60 Russo will face Ole Miss' No. 17 Arianne Hartono, the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Monday at 9 am CT.
Admission to the ITA Southern Regional is free. For updates, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.