CLEMSON, S.C. – Auburn came through with four singles victories to earn a 4-3 victory over Clemson Sunday morning in the Tigers' second straight road match against an ACC opponent.
Auburn (4-1) bounced back after dropping the doubles point, clinching the match in a three-set win at the No. 6 singles spot.
"Clemson was all over us in doubles today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "For the majority of the match we were clawing and fighting to be competitive. I certainly commend the grit and resilience, the willingness to find a way to disrupt even when the score wasn't in our favor. The tennis won't always be pretty, but the heart can always have a posture of tenacity and toughness."
Clemson took a 1-0 lead with wins at the second and third singles spot. Auburn's 11th-ranked team of Selin Ovunc and Taylor Russo delivered a 6-1 win at the top spot, but Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach came up short 6-1 on court two and Yu Chen and Carolyn Ansari dropped a 6-2 decision at the third doubles spot.
Axon pulled Auburn even with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Cristina Mayorova at the No. 4 singles spot. Clemson would move back ahead 2-1 as Chen came up short to Jenna Thompson 6-4, 6-3, at No. 2 singles, but a 6-2, 6-3 win from 62nd-ranked Ovunc at the top spot tied the team score at 2-2.
Ansari made it 3-2 Auburn with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Middlebrooks on court three. And freshman Adeline Flach provided her third match-clinching win of the season, bouncing back from a first-set loss for a 2-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over Clemson's Zaina Nait Omar to secure the win for Auburn. Russo also forced a third set on court five, but came up just short in a 1-6, 7-5, 4-6 loss to close out the day.
Auburn closes out non-conference play Saturday, Feb. 13, on the road at North Florida in a match that was rescheduled from Jan. 24. The match is scheduled for an 11 a.m. CT start in Jacksonville, Fla.
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Auburn 4, Clemson 3
Singles
1. #62 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Eleni Louka (CU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Jenna Thompson (CU) def. Yu Chen (AU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. M. Middlebrooks (CU), 6-2, 6-4
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Cristina Mayorova (CU), 6-2, 6-0
5. Sophia Hatton (CU) def. #99 Taylor Russo (AU), 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
6. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Zaina Nait Omar (CU), 2-6, 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 2, 1, 3, 6*, 5
Doubles
1. #11 Ovunc/Russo (AU) def. Marti/Middlebrooks (CU), 6-1
2. Thompson/Louka (CU) def. Axon/Flach (AU), 6-1
3. Hatton/Mayorova (CU) def. Ansari/Chen (AU), 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3*
Auburn women's tennis earns road win at Clemson
