FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Strong singles play across the board helped the 17th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team get back in the win column with a 4-2 victory on the road at No. 22 Arkansas Friday night.
For the third time in SEC play, the Tigers (11-3, 6-2 SEC) fought back from losing the doubles point to pick up four victories in singles, this time to take down a top-25 opponent on the road.
"Resilience is not something that can always be coached," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Grit is innate, a rage to master that feeds an insatiable desire to find solutions. This team consistently competes with incredible heart.
"I loved our composure today. Arkansas played some great tennis down in sets and we never wavered from the process. No match is ever perfect, never will be, but how we respond to challenges is a testament to the intangibles this team brings on a daily basis."
One of the key turning points of the match came when Auburn found itself in three first-set tiebreakers simultaneously. But the Tigers prevailed in all three – wins from Carolyn Ansari, Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach – to give Auburn first-set wins on five singles courts.
Trailing 2-0 after dropping the doubles point and the first singles match, Auburn got on the board when Yu Chen finished off a 6-4, 6-4 win over Kelly Keller at the No. 2 singles position. Axon, ranked No. 116 in the latest ITA , fought back from an early deficit in the first set to win a tiebreak, then pull away in the second for a 7-6 (5), 6-1 win over Morgan Cross to even the score at two wins apiece.
A win from Anastasia Astakhova at the sixth position – 6-2, 7-6 (5) over Jackie Carr – pulled Auburn ahead 3-2, and just moments later, Adeline Flach provided the clincher on court five with a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win to give Auburn its second SEC road win of the year. Carolyn Ansari was up a set and tied 4-4 in the second when play was halted. Selin Ovunc dropped her singles match to 44th-ranked Indianna Spink at the top singles line, 6-3, 6-3.
In doubles, Auburn came up short in two matches to fall behind early. Axon and Flach dropped a 6-3 decision at the top spot, and Ovunc and Ansari fell 6-0 on court two. Chen and Astakhova, playing together for the first time, were tied 4-4 at the No. 3 spot when the doubles point was clinched.
The Tigers wrap up the road swing Sunday morning at Missouri. Match time is set for 10 a.m. CT in Columbia, Mo.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#17 Auburn 4, #22 Arkansas 2
Singles
1. #44 Indianna Spink (ARK) def. #57 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-3, 6-3
2. Yu Chen (AU) def. Kelly Keller (ARK), 6-4, 6-4
3. Carolyn Ansari (AU) vs. Tatum Rice (ARK), 7-6, 4-4 unfinished
4. #116 Georgie Axon (AU) def. Morgan Cross (ARK), 7-6 (5), 6-1
5. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Lauren Alter (ARK), 7-6 (4), 6-3
6. Anastasia Astakhova (AU) def. Jackie Carr (ARK), 6-2, 7-6 (5)
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4, 6, 5
Doubles
1. Cross/Rice (ARK) def. Axon/Flach (AU), 6-3
2. Alter/Spink (ARK) def. Ansari/Ovunc (AU), 6-0
3. Keller/Carr (ARK) vs. Astakhova/Chen (AU), 4-4 unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
