AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn made it an SEC opening weekend sweep as the 11th-ranked Tigers defeated No. 28 Kentucky 6-1 Sunday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Tigers (11-2, 2-0 SEC) got solid play across the board and remained unbeaten at home so far this season, improving to 8-0 on their home courts.
"The complete team effort this afternoon was very encouraging to see," Auburn associate head coach Megan Falcon said. "To make progress from Friday to today is a testament to the quality of work the girls consistently bring to the practice court. This week we will continue to pound the stone as we build our house!"
The Tigers claimed the doubles point for the second time on the weekend. Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith got it started with a 6-2 win over Carlota Molina and Lidia Gonzalez at the No. 3 spot, then the 44th-ranked team of Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault earned a 6-3 win on the No. 1 court over 60th-ranked Fiona Arrese and Florencia Urrutia. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach were tied 4-4 with their opponent from UK as doubles play was halted.
Ovunc kept rolling in singles as the Tigers' No. 60-ranked player sprinted to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Carla Girbau to give Auburn a 2-0 lead. Kentucky would get on the board as Urrutia won in straight sets over Flach, 6-2, 6-4, to cut the Auburn lead to 2-1.
The third and fourth team points for Auburn came in short order. Carolyn Ansari, ranked No. 104 nationally, fought back after falling behind in the second set to earn a 6-1, 6-4 win at the No. 3 spot over Arrese, then Yu Chen clinched the win for Auburn with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Maialen Morante on court six.
Axon gave Auburn its fifth point with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Ellie Eades at the No. 5 singles spot. The final match on court two saw an epic second-set tiebreak go Kentucky's way as 89th-ranked Molina outlasted Arseneault 12-10, but 54th-ranked Arseneault bounced back in a third-set match tiebreak, winning 10-4 to clinch the sixth point for Auburn and end the match.
Auburn hits the road for the first time in league play next Saturday for the rivalry match at Alabama. The match is scheduled for a noon CT start at the Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa.
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#11 Auburn 6, #28 Kentucky 1
Singles
1. #60 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Carla Girbau (UK), 6-0, 6-2
2. #54 Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. #89 Carlota Molina (UK), 6-2, 6-7 (10), 1-0 (4)
3. #104 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Fiona Arrese (UK), 6-1, 6-4
4. Florencia Urrutia (UK) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 6-2, 6-4
5. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Ellie Eades (UK), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Yu Chen (AU) def. Maialen Morante (UK), 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 6, 5, 2
Doubles
1. #44 Ovunc/Arseneault (AU) def. #60 Arrese/Urrutia (UK), 6-3
2. Axon/Flach (AU) vs. Girbau/Ellis (UK), 4-4 unfinished
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Molina/Gonzalez (UK), 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1