ORLANDO, Fla. – The Auburn women's tennis team ended their week at the Orlando Invitational on a high note, winning eight of 11 matches played Sunday at the USTA National Campus.
Auburn won six of seven singles matches against Iowa State, Texas Tech and Rice, and took two of three doubles contests against Missouri.
"This entire weekend in Orlando we were pushed, and that's exactly what we wanted," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Both Hadley (Berg) and I are ready to put in some quality work with the team before our home opener. We expect a level of professionalism and competitiveness that we didn't have across the board, so we will reevaluate to find a better way to grow. It is time to jump back into the monotonous grind of chopping wood and carrying water!"
The Tigers swept all five singles matches against Iowa State. Senior Taylor Russo made it an unbeaten weekend in singles with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Thasaporn Neklo. Fellow senior Georgie Axon went 3-0 on the week with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Chie Nesuka, and freshman Selin Ovunc also finished off an unbeaten tournament with a 7-5, 7-6 win over Ting-Pei Chang. Sophomore Yu Chen downed Christin Hsieh, 6-3, 6-4, and freshman Carolyn Ansari made quick work of Karen Alvarez, 6-0, 6-0.
Junior Madeline Meredith earned a victory over Texas Tech's Isa de Laura, 6-2, 6-4, and freshman Caraline Scheufler dropped a 7-5, 6-1 decision to Maria Budin of Rice.
In doubles, the ninth-ranked tandem of Ovunc and Russo earned a 6-0 win, and the 59th-ranked pair of Meredith and Axon won 6-4 over teams from Missouri. Chen and Ansari dropped their match, 6-4.
The dual match season gets underway next Saturday at home as the Tigers play host to a doubleheader at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Auburn will face Central Arkansas at 9 a.m. CT followed by a match with UAB at 3 p.m. Admission is free to all Auburn home tennis matches.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Auburn Women's Tennis Results – Sunday, Jan. 12
Orlando Invitational
Doubles
#59 Meredith/Axon (AU) def. (Mizzou), 6-4
#9 Ovunc/Russo (AU) def. (Mizzou), 6-0
(Mizzou) def. Chen/Ansari (AU), 6-4
Singles
#79 Taylor Russo (AU) def. Thasaporn Neklo (ISU), 6-1, 7-5
Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Ting-Pei Chang (ISU), 7-5, 7-6 (0)
Georgie Axon (AU) def. Chie Kezuka (ISU), 6-1, 6-1
#123 Yu Chen (AU) def. Christin Hsieh (ISU), 6-3, 6-4
Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Karen Alvarez (ISU), 6-0, 6-0
Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Isa De Laura (TT), 6-2, 6-4
Maria Budin (Rice) def. Caraline Scheufler (AU), 7-5, 6-1