AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's tennis team came so close to capturing its first SEC win of the season on the road Thursday night in a 4-3 loss at No. 43 Ole Miss at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center in Oxford.
After Ole Miss took the doubles point, the Tigers came out strong in singles, taking the first set in four of the six matches. Freshman Filippo Mora made quick work of Filip Kraljevic on court two in a 6-1, 6-3 win, and sophomore Tad Maclean gave Auburn a 2-1 team lead with his 6-3, 6-2 victory over Fabian Fallert on court three.
After Ole Miss took a 3-2 advantage with wins on courts one and four, junior Tim Dollman came through for the Tigers with a three-set victory on court five over Simon Junk, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, tying the team score at 3-3.
That left play on court six to decide the match, where junior Michael Durham battled three sets with Ole Miss' Jan Soren Hain before Hain prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to give Ole Miss the team win.
Auburn is now 11-11 on the season, while Ole Miss goes to 9-8 overall.
Saturday, the Tigers return home for a pair of matches vs. Mississippi State at noon and vs. Alcorn State at 5 p.m. at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Lucky fans will receive Auburn sunglasses and t-shirts while supplies last, along with the Fan of the Match prize drawing.
One of the top teams in America, the Bulldogs are 12-3 on the season, and ranked No. 10 in the latest Oracle/ITA team rankings and No. 12 in the Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25.
All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.
#43 Ole Miss 4, Auburn 3
Singles
#73 Tim Sandkaulen (UM) def. Matteo DeVincentis (AU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3
Filippo Mora (AU) def. Filip Kraljevic (UM) 6-1, 6-3
Tad Maclean (AU) def. Fabian Fallert (UM) 6-3, 6-2
Karlo Kranic (UM) def. Brandon Laubser (AU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)
Tim Dollman (AU) def. Simon Junk (UM) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
Jan Soren Hain (UM) def. Michael Durham (AU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
#75 Kraljevic/Sandkaulen (UM) def. Laubser/Maclean (AU) 6-4
DeVincentis/Mora (AU) v Fallert/Cotter Wilson (UM) 5-2 unfinished
Finn Reynolds/Kranic (UM) def. Anders Fry/Diego Chavarria (AU) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles: 3,1; Singles: 2,3,1,4,5,6