AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn men's tennis program split into two squads and had participants in both the Clemson Invitational in Clemson, SC as well as the Commodore Invitational in Nashville, Tenn. this weekend. Senior Spencer Gray won his singles flight and the doubles team of Gray and junior Josh Raab captured the doubles portion of the tournament. Over in Nashville, senior Jan Galka and freshman Alejandro Moreno won their draw in doubles play.
Gray and Raab went undefeated in doubles play over the weekend, as the team posted a perfect 3-0. The Auburn duo took down Matt Pitts and Trey Stinchcomb of Clemson 6-4, Wisconsin's Mihailo Popovic and Zachary Schwartz 6-0, and finished by defeating Ivan Dreycopp and Brett Gloria of Charlotte 7-6.
"This weekend was a good one for Rabby [Josh Raab] and Spencer [Gray]. They focused on the goals that were set before the weekend," said Auburn associate head coach Chris Hooshyar who traveled with the two to Clemson. "Sometimes they fell short and sometimes they prevailed. The doubles were very good but the singles could have been better, but that's what makes it so much fun- we are always working to be better and can't wait to get back to the practice courts on Tuesday."
The Tigers brought six representatives to the Commadore Invitational in Nashville over the weekend and also had success there. In doubles, the Auburn team of Galka and Moreno went a perfect 3-0 to win their doubles draw. They defeated Connor Robb-Wilcox and Jeremie Casabon from host school Vanderbilt 8-3, Florida's Will Grant and Axel Nefve 7-5, and claimed the title over Jake Beasley and James Story of South Carolina.
Senior Tyler Stice and sophomore Will Nolan also had success in doubles play in Nashville. They defeated Baptiste Anselmo and Mark Mandlik of Oklahoma, who are ranked 58th in the country in doubles, 7-5 as well as Georgia Tech's Marcus McDaniel and Elias Shokry 6-3.
In singles play, Dobai claimed a ranked win over Connor Thompson from South Carolina, who is ranked in a tie for 89th nationally.
"This weekend was exactly what we needed as a team. To evaluate ourselves against the toughest players in the country and identify the areas in our games that still need improvement," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said about the performance of his players in Nashville. "I was pleased with how our guys improved as the weekend progressed and that we were able to shake some of the first match nerves. We still need to place emphasis on the fundamentals like serves plus first balls and being aggressive when the opportunities present themselves. We have a short week before competing at All-Americans, but this tournament will greatly benefit our guys."
The ITA All-American will be held on October 1-9 in Tulsa, Okla.
Clemson Invitational (Singles):
Michael Minasyn (Wisconsin) def. Josh Raab 6-4, 6-4
Spencer Gray def. Jonas Hartenstein (North Florida) 6-4, 6-1
Matt Pitts (Clemson) def. Josh Raab 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
Coy Simon (Charlotte) def. Josh Raab 6-3, 6-3
Spencer Gray def. Gabriel Huber (Wisconsin) 6-2, 6-2
Spencer Gray def. Matt Carrol (North Florida) 6-0,6-4
Josh Raab def. Bruno Vietri (North Florida) 7-5, 6-2
Clemson Invitational (Doubles):
Spencer Gray/Josh Raab def. Matt Pitts/Trey Stinchcomb 6-4
Spencer Gray/Josh Raab def. Mihailo Popovic/Zachary Schwartz 6-0
Spencer Gray/Josh Raab def. Ivan Dreycopp/Brett Gloria 7-6
Commadore Invitational (Singles):
Axel Nefve (Florida) def. Alejandro Moreno 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Connor Thompson (South Carolina) def. Raul Dobai 6-3, 6-4
Jan Galka def. Jip Van Assendelft (Oklahoma) 6-2, 6-4
Lukas Greif (Florida) def. Jan Galka 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Alejandro Moreno def. James Story (South Carolina) 5-7, 6-0, 6-2
Alejandro Moreno def. Lukas Engelhardt (Ole Miss) 6-4, 6-1
Raul Dobai def. Connor Thompson (South Carolina)
Raul Dobai def. Jip Van Assendelft (Oklahoma)
Jan Galka def. Lukas Greif (Florida)
Jan Galka def. Jorge Plans Gonzalez (Clemson) 6-2, 7-6 (5)
Will Nolan def. Mathis Debru (Illinois) 7-5, 7-6 (5)
Will Nolan def. Elias Shokry (Georgia Tech) 6-4, 6-2
Will Nolan def. Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) 7-5, 6-4
Evin McDonald (Tennessee) def. Will Nolan 6-2, 6-3
Will Grant (Florida) def. Tyler Stice 6-2, 6-2
Tyler Stice def. Ryuhei Azuma (Clemson) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
Siem Woldeab (Texas) def. Tyler Stice 6-3, 6-1
Will Grant (Florida) def. Finn Murgett 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Joubert Klopper (Vanderbilt) def. Finn Murgett 6-1, 4-6, 11-0)
Finn Murgett def. Baptiste Anselmo (Oklahoma) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Commadore Invitational (Doubles):
Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett def. Lukas Engelhardt/ John Hallquist Lithen (Ole Miss) 8-5
Jake Beasley/James Story (South Carolina) def. Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett 7-5
Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett def. Will Grant/Axel Nefve (Florida)
Jan Galka/ Alejandro Moreno def. Connor Robb-Wilcox/Jeremie Casabon (Vanderbilt) 8-3
Jan Galka/ Alejandro Moreno def. Will Grant/Axel Nefve (Florida) 7-5
Jan Galka/ Alejandro Moreno def. Jake Beasley/James Story (South Carolina)
Nathan Cox/Michael Ross (Vanderbilt ) def. Will Nolan/Tyler Stice 9-7
Will Nolan/Tyler Stice def. Baptiste Anselmo/Mark Mandlik (Oklahoma) 7-5
Will Nolan/Tyler Stice def. Marcus McDaniel/ Elias Shokry (Georgia Tech) 6-3