AUBURN, Ala. – The 13th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team remained unbeaten at home this season with a 6-1 win over No. 26 Tennessee Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
On a picture-perfect day for tennis, the Tigers (19-4, 10-2 SEC) picked up their 10th SEC win of the season to set a program record for league victories and secure no worse than a third-place finish in the final standings, the best in Auburn history.
"Improvement is something we can always hunt and always pursue," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Throughout the match today, Tennessee found ways to make us uncomfortable, and we found ways to choose to embrace that. As a team, the way we approach challenges is a testament to our belief in the strength of the unit.
Auburn started quickly in doubles, cruising to two victories and a 1-0 lead in the match. Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith got on the board first with a 6-2 win at the No. 3 spot. Then Auburn's 16th-ranked tandem of Ariana Arseneault and Selin Ovunc finished off a 6-1 win over 17th-ranked Daria Kuczer and Tenika McGiffin for their fourth ranked victory of the year. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach were leading 4-2 on court two when play was halted.
Yu Chen got Auburn off to a fast start in singles, sprinting to a 6-0, 6-2 win over Eleonara Molinaro at the No. 6 spot to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead and improve her SEC singles record to 11-1. But from that point, Tennessee would push Auburn to the brink in several matches. The Lady Vols got on the board as Esther Adeshina defeated Flach, 6-2, 6-2, on court 5 to make it 2-1.
Auburn then found itself on its heels as Tennessee took the first set on two other courts and was pushing to tie the match at the top singles spot as 30th-ranked Rebeka Mertena had pulled ahead to a 5-4 lead in the second set. Trailing 40-30 and facing two match points, 35th-ranked Ovunc fought off both attempts to square the second set at 5-all, then claimed the next two games to win 7-5 and extend the match to a third set. It proved to be the turning point in the team competition.
Meanwhile, Axon outlasted Kuczer in a first-set tiebreaker, 9-7, then charged ahead to win in straight sets, 7-6 (7), 6-3, to give Auburn a 3-1 lead. Arseneault, ranked 68th, also fought back from a first-set defeat to earn a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over 52nd-ranked McGiffin to clinch the match for the Tigers.
Ovunc rode the momentum from her second-set comeback to a three-set victory over Mertena, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2, and Ansari shook off a second-set loss to defeat 111th-ranked Elza Tomase, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, to finish off the day.
Auburn will wrap up the 2022 regular season Sunday at noon CT as the Tigers host No. 10 Georgia for Senior Day. Seniors Georgie Axon, Yu Chen and Madeline Meredith will be honored following the match. Admission is free to all home tennis matches.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#13 Auburn 6, #26 Tennessee 1
Singles
1. #35 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. #30 Rebeka Mertena (UT), 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
2. #68 Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. #52 Tenika McGiffin (UT), 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
3. #107 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. #111 Elza Tomase (UT), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Daria Kuczer (UT), 7-6 (7), 6-3
5. Esther Adeshina (UT) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 6-2, 6-2
6. Yu Chen (AU) def. Eleonora Molinaro (UT), 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 5, 4, 2, 1, 3
Doubles
1. #16 Ovunc/Arseneault (AU) def. #17 Kuczer/McGiffin (UT), 6-1
2. Axon/Flach (AU) vs. #76 Adeshina/Mertena (UT), 4-2 unfinished
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Duckworth/Tomase (UT), 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1