COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 18 Auburn men's tennis upset No. 4 South Carolina for their first road conference victory of the season by a 4-3 score on Friday. The Tigers overcame a 3-1 deficit by claiming three consecutive singles wins to get the thrilling team victory.
"These guys continue to grow in their belief of one another and themselves," Auburn head coach said after the victory. "We had the doubles point in our grasps and let it go but they realized it was the same situation as last year's SEC Tournament. What I'm most proud about is that we didn't give up, and kept fighting even with our backs against the wall in the first 30 minutes of singles. They kept clawing for every point, and it allowed us to turn the momentum on Tyler Stice's court. We will enjoy this achievement tonight and get ready for a tough Florida team."
After dropping a close doubles point, Jan Galka lost in two sets on court four to make the score 2-0. Senior Raul Dobai cut into that lead by defeating Jake Beasley in two sets by a 7-5, 6-4 score on court five. No. 8 Connor Thompson then defeated Finn Murgett on court two which put the Gamecocks one singles win away from victory.
Auburn freshman Alejandro Moreno, who cracked the ITA singles rankings for the first time on Tuesday, took down No. 111 Raphael Lambling 6-2, 6-3. After he lost the initial set 6-1, senior Tyler Stice came roaring back on court one and knocked off the 3rd ranked singles player in the nation, Toby Samuel, for his 10th dual singles win of the season by a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 to give the Tigers the momentum and tie the match at three. The win was Stice's third win over a ranked singles opponent in dual matches this season and the first over a player ranked in the top five.
The match was decided on court six, where freshman Billy Blaydes and Lucas da Silva had traded set wins to set up a winner-take-all third set for the team victory. Blaydes dominated the set 6-1 to capture his fourth consecutive singles victory and the team win for the Tigers.
Auburn has now defeated the Gamecocks in each of their last two meetings, as the Tigers took down the Gamecocks by a 4-2 score in the SEC Tournament last season.
With the victory, Auburn improves to 14-6 for the season and to 3-3 in SEC play. South Carolina suffers just their third loss of the season and falls to 15-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play.
The Tigers' road trip continues on Sunday, as they will face No. 22 Florida in Gainesville. The match at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT. Live video and live scoring for the match will be available at floridagators.com.
#18 Auburn 4, #4 South Carolina 3
Singles results:
1. #110 Tyler Stice (AUB) def. #3 Toby Samuel (SC) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
2. #8 Connor Thomson (SC) def. Finn Murgett (AUB) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
3. #107 Alejandro Moreno (AUB) def. #111 Raphael Lambling (SC) 6-2, 6-3
4. #82 Casey Hoole (SC) def. Jan Galka (AUB) 6-2, 6-4
5. Raul Dobai (AUB) def. Jake Beasley (SC) 7-5, 6-4
6. Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Lucas da Silva (SC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
Doubles results:
1. #23 Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett (AUB) def. #43 Jake Beasley/James Story (SC) 7-5
2. Connor Thomson/Lucas da Silva (SC) def. Jan Galka/Billy Blaydes (AUB) 7-6 (7-5)
3. Raphael Lambling/Casey Hoole (SC) def. Tyler Stice/Alejandro Moreno (AUB) 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3,2; Singles: 4,5,2,3,1,6