TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 21st-ranked Auburn women's tennis team took care of business in their opening match at the 2021 SEC Tournament, defeating No. 30 Arkansas 4-1 Tuesday night at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
Auburn (13-7), seeded sixth in the tournament, will advance to face third-seeded and 17th-ranked Texas A&M in the tournament quarterfinals at 6 p.m. CT Wednesday.
"Today was a team effort," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "We have grown, as individuals and as a unit, and we will continue to remain committed to the process. Hard work is the foundation for any and all growth.
"As we refine our practice habits looking for the one-percent improvements, we will continue to gain valuable experience to remain composed and professional for the duration of our matches. We are looking forward to another opportunity to compete tomorrow evening!"
The Tigers earned the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Yu Chen and Anastasia Astakhova got things going with a 6-1 win at the No. 3 spot, but Arkansas evened things up as Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach fell 6-1 at the top doubles position. But Selin Ovunc and Carolyn Ansari clinched the first point with a 6-3 win on court two.
In singles, Auburn took the first set on five of six courts, but much like the regular-season match in Fayetteville, had to fight to get those early leads. Ovunc and Ansari saw their first sets go to tiebreakers – both Auburn wins – and Axon, Flach and Astakhova grabbed the lead with opening-set wins on their courts.
Axon gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Morgan Cross on court four. Arkansas got on the board moments later as Chen fell to Tatum Rice on court three, 6-3, 6-4. Auburn got that point back as Flach defeated Laura Rijkers at the fifth singles position, 6-4, 6-4. And after earning the first-set tiebreaker win, 68th-ranked Ovunc avenged a regular-season loss to 35th-ranked Indianna Spink with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win at the top spot to clinch the match for Auburn.
Ansari was in a third set with Kelly Keller, and Astakhova was leading in the third over Lauren Alter when the match was halted.
Auburn will seek to avenge a regular-season loss to the Aggies; the Tigers fell 4-1 to A&M on April 1 in Auburn. Links to live video and live stats are available on the schedule page at AuburnTigers.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#21 Auburn 4, #30 Arkansas 1
Singles
1. #68 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. #35 Indianna Spink (ARK), 7-6 (4), 6-4
2. #70 Carolyn Ansari (AU) vs. Kelly Keller (ARK), 7-6 (4), 3-6, 0-1 unfinished
3. Tatum Rice (ARK) def. #116 Yu Chen (AU), 6-3, 6-4
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Morgan Cross (ARK), 6-3, 6-3
5. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Laura Rijkers (ARK), 6-4, 6-4
6. Anastasia Astakhova (AU) vs. Lauren Alter (ARK), 6-4, 5-7, 2-1 unfinished
Order of finish: 4, 3, 5, 1
Doubles
1. #72 Cross/Rice (ARK) def. #78 Axon/Flach (AU), 6-1
2. Ansari/Ovunc (AU) def. Alter/Spink (ARK), 6-3
3. Chen/Astakhova (AU) def. Carr/Keller (ARK), 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
