AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team earned a pair of home victories Saturday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, defeating Georgia State 6-1 and Alabama A&M 7-0.
Auburn (5-1) won the doubles point in both matches and went 11-1 in singles on the day. The Georgia State match was played outdoors before Auburn and Alabama A&M moved indoors for the second match.
"We fought through some tough conditions today and that will make us better moving forward," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Georgia State came out and responded with great energy after the doubles point and jumped on us early. Once we settled down and embraced our circumstances, our tennis really improved."
Auburn vs. Georgia State
The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead, winning doubles matches on courts 1 and 2. Georgie Axon and Madeline Meredith made quick work of their opponent with a 6-0 win at the No. 2 spot, and ninth-ranked Selin Ovunc and Taylor Russo clinched the point with a 6-3 win at the top spot. The team of Carolyn Ansari and Lindsay Song were a game away at 5-3 when play was halted.
In singles, the Panthers evened the score at 1-1 as Russo fell to GSU's Eva Chivu 6-2, 6-0 at the top spot. But Auburn moved back ahead for good when Axon defeated Aleksandra Stromova 6-1, 6-2 on court 4. It was 3-1 shortly thereafter when Meredith took down Alexia Alvarez 6-1, 6-2 on court 6, and a hard-fought win by Yu Chen at the No. 3 spot clinched the win as she defeated Angel Carney 6-4, 6-3.
Two other matches went to a third-set tiebreaker. Carolyn Ansari prevailed on court 5, fighting back for a 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-2) win. And Selin Ovunc bounced back after dropping a first-set tiebreaker to earn a 6-7 (1), 6-2, 1-0 (10-5) win to finish off the day's opening match.
Auburn vs. Alabama A&M
The Tigers sprinted to a 1-0 lead with a pair of doubles wins on courts 1 and 3. Ansari and Song earned a quick 6-0 win at the No. 3 spot, and Ovunc and Russo clinched the point with a 6-1 win at the top doubles spot. Axon and Meredith led 5-1 when the point was clinched.
Axon won quickly again, this time at the No. 3 spot, downing AAMU's Neha Ghare 6-0, 6-1 to make it 2-0 Tigers. It was 3-0 after Song won her first singles match of the spring, downing Ayana Rengiil 6-0, 6-1 on court 6. And Russo clinched the win on court 1 with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Anita Bozhko.
Chen won 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 2 spot over Jasmine Boyd to make it 5-0. Ansari pushed the Auburn lead to 6-0 with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Camila Ruiz Diaz on court 4. And Caraline Scheufler made her first appearance in the Auburn lineup this spring, picking up a 6-0, 6-2 win over India Woods at the No. 5 spot to close out the sweep.
Up Next
Auburn takes on Memphis at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. 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 6, Georgia State 1
Doubles
1. #9 Russo/Ovunc (AU) def. Chivu/Carney (GSU), 6-3
2. #59 Axon/Meredith (AU) def. Alvarez/Stanescu (GSU), 6-0
3. Ansari/Song (AU) vs. Muminovic/Stromova (GSU), 5-3 unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles
1. Eva Chivu (GSU) def. #79 Taylor Russo (AU), 6-2, 6-0
2. Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Damira Muminovic (GSU), 6-7 (1), 6-2, 1-0 (10-7)
3. #123 Yu Chen (AU) def. Angel Carney (GSU), 6-4, 6-3
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Aleksandra Stromova (GSU), 6-1, 6-2
5. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Andreea Stanescu (GSU), 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-2)
6. Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Alexia Alvarez (GSU), 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 4, 6, 3, 5, 2
Auburn 7, Alabama A&M 0
Doubles
1. #9 Russo/Ovunc (AU) def. Boyd/Bozhko (AAMU), 6-1
2. #59 Axon/Meredith (AU) vs. Diaz/Woods (AAMU), 5-1 unfinished
3. Ansari/Song (AU) def. Ghare/Duarte Ramirez (AAMU), 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. #79 Taylor Russo (AU) def. Anita Bozhko (AAMU), 6-2, 6-0
2. #123 Yu Chen (AU) def. Jasmine Boyd (AAMU), 6-1, 6-2
3. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Neha Ghare (AAMU), 6-0, 6-1
4. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Camila Ruiz Dias (AAMU), 6-4, 6-1
5. Caraline Scheufler (AU) def. India Woods (AAMU), 6-2, 6-0
6. Lindsay Song (AU) def. Ayana Rengiil (AAMU), 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 6, 1, 2, 4, 5
Records:
Auburn 5-1
Georgia State 1-2
Alabama A&M 0-2