AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 44-ranked Auburn men's tennis team faced tough competition with three matches in the 72nd Blue Gray National Tennis Classic Friday and Saturday. The Tigers fell to #28 Princeton and Fresno State by 4-2 scores at Lagoon Park, before falling to #27 Middle Tennessee State at the O'Connor Tennis Center by that same 4-2 score.
Playing shorthanded after an injury to Tom Wright in the opening match, Auburn captured six singles victories over the weekend, two of those by freshman Spencer Gray, who defeated Princeton's Davey Roberts 7-6, 6-1 and was a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Max Rauch of Middle Tennessee State. Wright posted a three-set win over Princeton on court two and Diego Chavarria fought his way to a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Fresno State's Henrique Osario. Freshman Tyler Stice was a 6-4, 6-2 victor over Fresno State's Johannes Seeman, and freshman Finn Murgett came from behind to win in three sets over Middle Tennessee State's Christopher Edge. Nine of the Tigers' singles matches over the weekend went to three sets.
Doubles were only contested in two matches because of the weather-shortened schedule; Gray and Murgett posted a 6-1 win in the Fresno State match, their first doubles pairing of the season, and Tim Dollman and Stice were 6-2 winners in court one doubles against Middle Tennessee State.
Auburn is now 9-6 on the season. Princeton is 9-4, Fresno State is 4-5 and Middle Tennessee State is 11-5.
Next weekend, Auburn begins SEC action with matches at No. 15 South Carolina (Friday at 2 p.m. CT) and at No. 6 Florida (Sunday at noon).
Princeton 4, Auburn 2
Singles
Karl Poling (PU) def. Tim Dollman (AUB) 6-1, 6-2
Ryan Seggerman (PU) def. Tyler Stice (AUB) 6-3, 6-7, 6-2
Tom Wright (AUB) def. Justin Barki (PU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Will Peters (PU) def. Finn Murgett (AUB) 6-3, 6-4
Spencer Gray (AUB) def. Davey Roberts (PU) 7-6, 6-1
Payton Holden (PU) def. Diego Chavarria (AUB) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5)
Order of finish: Singles: 1,4,5,3,2,6; Time of match: 2:15
Fresno State 4, Auburn 2
Singles
Tim Dollman (AUB) vs. Zdenek Derkas (FSU) 6-3, 3-6, 1-5 unfinished
Tyler Stice (AUB) def. Johannes Seeman (FSU) 6-4, 6-2
Alexey Aleshchev (FSU) def. Finn Murgett (AUB) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5
Catagay Soke (FSU) def. Spencer Gray (AUB) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
Diego Chavarria (AUB) def. Henrique Osario (FSU) 6-4, 6-1
Daniel Baturyn (FSU) def. Michael Durham (AUB) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
Seeman/Soke (FSU) def. Dollman/Stice (AUB) 7-5
Angus Bradshaw/Derkas (FSU) def. Chavarria/Anders Fry (AUB) 6-3
Gray/Murgett (AUB) def. Osario/Aleshchev (FSU) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2,1; Singles: 2,5,6,4,3
Middle Tennessee State 4, Auburn 2
Singles
Tom Moonen (MTSU) def. Tim Dollman (AUB) 7-6, 3-6, 6-3
Tyler Stice (AUB) v Stijn Slump (MTSU) 6-3, 6-7, 3-5 unfinished
Finn Murgett (AUB) def. Christopher Edge (MTSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Spencer Gray (AUB) def. Max Rauch (MTSU) 6-1, 6-1
Pavel Motl (MTSU) def. Diego Chavarria (AUB) 7-6, 6-2
Francisco Roche (MTSU) def. Anders Fry (AUB) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
Dollman/Stice (AUB) def. Motl/Slump (MTSU) 6-2
Edge/Moonen (MTSU) def. Fry/Chavarria (AUB) 6-1
Rauch/Rocha (MTSU) def. Murgett/Gray (AUB) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1,3; Singles: 4,6,5,3,1