LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Auburn women's tennis team picked up their first SEC victory of the season Sunday afternoon, winning a marathon match at No. 34 Kentucky, 4-3.
The Tigers (8-6, 1-3 SEC) were able to win the doubles point, build a lead, and hold off a comeback by the Wildcats with a three-set win at the No. 4 spot to clinch the four-plus hour match.
"Relentless," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "A relentless and gritty effort across the board. Kentucky fought hard in singles, pushing us to find solutions throughout the match. We have played a lot of competitive matches this season, which has aided our development and growth. I am proud of how we competed today."
The Tigers claimed the doubles point with wins on courts 1 and 3. After Kentucky's team at the No. 2 spot downed Georgie Axon and Madeline Meredith 6-2, Auburn won the next two matches to clinch the point. Carolyn Ansari and Yu Chen evened things up in doubles with a 6-3 win on court 3, and the 14th-ranked team of Taylor Russo and Selin Ovunc clinched the point with a 7-5 win at the top spot.
Auburn made it 2-0 as Ansari made quick work of UK's Anastasia Tkachenko on court 5, 6-1, 6-2. The Wildcats would tie things up with wins on courts 1 and 6; Russo fell to Lesedi Jacobs at the top spot, 6-4, 6-2, and Meredith dropped a three-setter to Diana Tkachenko, 1-6, 6-1, 6-4.
A win from 64th-ranked Ovunc on court 2 put Auburn back ahead 3-2 as she defeated Akvile Parazinskaite, 6-3, 7-5. The remaining two matches would see Kentucky force third sets. The Wildcats would tie things up at 3-3 when Yu Chen dropped her match at the third spot to Carla Girbau, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4. But Axon prevailed on court 4 with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over UK's Carlota Molina to secure the Auburn win.
Auburn returns home for its next three matches, beginning with a showdown against rival Alabama at noon CT Saturday, March 14 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Admission is free to all home Auburn tennis matches.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
#50 Auburn 4, #34 Kentucky 3
Singles
1. Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. #83 Taylor Russo (AU), 6-4, 6-2
2. #64 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Akvile Parzinskaite (UK), 6-3, 7-5
3. Carla Girbau (UK) def. Yu Chen (AU), 5-7, 6-2, 6-4
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Carlota Molina (UK), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
5. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Anastasia Tkachenko (UK), 6-1, 6-2
6. Diana Tkachenko (UK) def. Madeline Meredith (AU), 1-6, 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 5, 1, 6, 2, 3, 4
Doubles
1. #14 Ovunc/Russo (AU) def. Girbau/Parazinskaite (UK), 7-5
2. Jacobs/Tkachenko (UK) def. Axon/Meredith (AU), 6-2
3. Ansari/Chen (AU) def. Molina/Morante (UK), 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1