AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team won seven of its eight singles matches Friday on the first day of the season-opening Marliss Gruver Fall Invitational at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Senior Georgie Axon, junior Madeline Meredith and freshman Selin Ovunc all went 2-0 on the day, and senior Taylor Russo won the first of her two matches.
"I'm really proud of the way the girls competed," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "It's the first time I've gotten to see them all compete together, so I thought they did a great job of giving to each other, being relentless, and responding to adversity in a good way. I thought we were pushed today, which is really good – that's why we play these events. I think we're heading in a really good direction.
"More than the winning and the losing, the biggest thing we focus on is the process and our willingness to do the right things, win or lose. The opportunity to get better is there if we play the right way. The one thing I want to see from our players is rewarding themselves for doing the right thing. Even if they lose a point or lose a match, if we're playing the right way, the tennis will get better. Competitively, I thought we put ourselves in some good positions across the board today, and we capitalized. Overall, it was a great day for Auburn tennis."
The day was highlighted by Meredith's second-round win over 56th-ranked Sabina Machalova of Ole Miss, 6-3, 6-4, the highest-ranked win over Meredith's Auburn career. Even more impressive, her win came after a grueling three-set victory over Yale's Raissa Lou in the morning session while Machalova had a bye and was playing her first match of the day.
Axon, appearing in her first Auburn matches in 15 months after missing last season with injury, made quick work of both her opponents. She defeated Notre Dame's Zoe Taylor 6-3, 6-3 in her first match, then came back with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Yale's Lauren Gillinov in the afternoon wave.
Ovunc made an impression in her Auburn debut with a pair of victories, defeating Penn State's Gabby O'Gorman 6-2, 6-1 in the morning and coming back with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Kansas' Vasiliki Karvouni in the second round. Russo won her opening match over Penn State's Samantha Smith 7-5, 6-1, but then dropped a tough three-setter in the afternoon to Kansas' Julia Deming.
Play continues Saturday morning with two rounds of doubles beginning at 9 a.m. CT. The field will then play one round of singles beginning at 1 p.m. Admission is free for all Auburn tennis events.
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Day 1 Results – Singles
Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Raissa Lou (Yale), 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4
Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Gabby O'Gorman (Penn State), 6-2, 6-1
Taylor Russo (AU) def. Samantha Smith (Penn State), 7-5, 6-1
Georgie Axon (AU) def. Zoe Taylor (Notre Dame), 6-3, 6-3
Madeline Meredith (AU) def. #56 Sabina Machalova (Ole Miss), 6-3, 6-4
Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Vasiliki Karvouni (Kansas), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Julia Deming (Kansas) def. Taylor Russo (AU), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2
Georgie Axon (AU) def. Lauren Gillinov (Yale), 6-1, 6-2