ORLANDO, Fla. – Auburn sophomore Selin Ovunc earned the highest-ranked win of her collegiate career Sunday morning, defeating No. 5 Kenya Jones of Georgia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tennis Singles Championship.
Ovunc won 7-5, 6-3, to advance to the round of 32. She will face 47th-ranked Bronte Murgett of Missouri in Monday's second round; start time has yet to be announced.
"Selin competed with a mature combination of poise and joy today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Her creativity and wide arsenal of skills allow her to find the puzzle pieces that fit best. Every match she earns the privilege to play presents another opportunity to grow."
Ovunc found herself facing set point in the first set, trailing 5-2 in the set and 40-30 in the game with Jones on serve. But she was able to fight off two set points to earn her first break, then broke Jones' serve two games later to get back on serve at 5-all. It would turn into five straight games won for Ovunc as she picked up a third break to clinch the first set, 7-5.
Set two saw Ovunc's serve broken in the first game, but she broke back soon thereafter to get back on serve at 2-all. She then took advantage of another break chance at 4-3, then held serve at 5-3 to secure the win.
Ovunc becomes the second Auburn women's tennis player to win a match at the NCAA Singles Championship, joining Fani Chifchieva, who won first-round matches in 2007 and 2010 and advanced to the semifinals in 2008.
A live scoring link for Monday's second-round match is available at AuburnTigers.com. Fans can watch the action by downloading the TennisONE app on mobile devices.