MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Auburn's 19th-ranked doubles team of Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach finished off a strong showing at the ITA All-American Championships, advancing to the consolation final over the weekend.
The Tiger tandem knocked off two top-15 teams in the quarterfinals and semifinals before coming up just short in a third-set tiebreaker in the final.
"One thing I want to remain at the forefront of our mind is embracing a hunting mindset," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Hunting growth above anything else will fuel our development as a team and as young women. We did some great things this weekend and learned a lot in the process. There are always areas to improve as we build our house."
On Friday, Axon and Flach earned one of their biggest wins as a doubles team, taking down the nation's No. 2-ranked team in Duke's Berankova and Beck, 6-1, 7-6 (4) in the quarterfinal.
In Saturday's semifinal, the Auburn pair defeated another top team in 11th-ranked Fukuda and Pachkaleva of Pepperdine in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. It would be a battle to the finish in the consolation final against LSU's 51st-ranked team of Bridges and Babic, but Axon and Flach would fall in a third-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (7).
Two other Tigers, Yu Chen and Anastasia Astakhova, competed in the SMU Red and Blue Challenge in Dallas over the weekend, but results were not available as of Sunday night.
Fall action continues this week as the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa for the ITA Southern Regional Championships. The tournament begins Thursday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
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ITA All-American Championships
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Doubles Consolation
Quarterfinal: #19 Axon/Flach (AU) def. #2 Berankova/Beck (DUKE), 6-1, 7-6 (4)
Semifinal: #19 Axon/Flach (AU) def. #11 Fukuda/Pachkaleva (PEPP), 6-4, 6-3
Final: #51 Bridges/Babic (LSU) def. #19 Axon/Flach (AU), 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (7)
