AUBURN, Ala. – No. 17 Auburn took down No. 60 Arkansas in the final regular season home match of the 2023 season by a 4-0 final score on Friday afternoon. The match win also occurred on Senior Day, as seniors Jan Galka and Spencer Gray were honored prior to the match.
"I told these guys in the locker room before we went out there that we were going up against a team that was 0-9 in the league on paper, but every match they worked hard out there," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said after the win. "We knew they were going to give us their best stuff, and they did. I think that match was a lot closer than that 4-0 score line shows, but it's the test we needed. I wanted to see the guys respond and I couldn't be happier for Alejandro [Moreno] fighting back and getting to a third set and for Billy [Blaydes] fighting back in the second set. Tyler was able to come back and get the win for us. It was good for us, it's what we needed right now."
The match began with a dominant doubles point win by the Tigers. Alejandro Moreno and Tyler Stice picked up a 6-2 win over Jake Sweeney and Foster Rogers. Just moments later, Jan Galka and Billy Blaydes defeated Stefanos Savva and Alan Sau Franco 6-3 for their team-leading 12th dual doubles victory. Galka and Blaydes' win claimed the doubles point for the Tigers.
Auburn got off to a slow start in singles, only winning the first set on courts three and five. Auburn did go on to win on both of those courts in two sets, as Finn Murgett dominated Sau Franco 6-3, 6-0 on court three while Raul Dobai fought off a late second-set comeback by Gerard Ripoll to win on court five.
With the team score 3-0, the Tigers needed a three-set win from any of the remaining courts to claim a team victory. Moreno came back from being down 5-3 in his second set to force a third set on court two, while Stice and Blaydes also forced a third set in their matches. Ultimately, Stice was the one that broke through with the match-clinching victory on court one, as he defeated Stefanos Savva for his 11th dual singles victory from the top of the Tigers' lineup.
Auburn's third consecutive victory improves its overall record to 17-7 and conference record to 5-4. The Razorbacks fall to 12-11 for the season and remain winless in conference play at 0-10.
Up next, Auburn will travel to the northern portion of the state to battle rival No. 56 Alabama. The match will begin at 1 p.m. CT at The University of Alabama Tennis Stadium. Live video and live scoring of the match will be available online at RollTide.com.
Auburn will host the 2023 SEC men's tennis championship tournament April 19-23 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. All-tournament ticket books are on sale now at aubtix.com. Daily tickets may be purchased on site.
#17 Auburn 4, #60 Arkansas 0
Singles Results:
1. #59 Tyler Stice (AUB) def. Stefanos Savva (ARK) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. #109 Alejandro Moreno (AUB) vs. Melvin Manuel (ARK) 2-6, 7-5, 0-1, unfinished
3. Finn Murgett (AUB) def. Alan Sau Franco (ARK) 6-3, 6-0
4. Jan Galka (AUB) vs. Adrien Burdet (ARK) 4-6, 5-6, unfinished
5. Raul Dobai (AUB) def. Gerard Ripoll (ARK) 6-2, 7-5
6. Billy Blaydes (AUB) vs. Benedikt Emesz (ARK) 4-6, 7-5, unfinished
Doubles Results:
1. #30 Finn Murgett/Raul Dobai (AUB) vs. #70 Adrien Burdet/Melvin Manuel (ARK) 6-5, unfinished
2. Jan Galka/Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Stefanos Savva/Alan Sau Franco (ARK) 6-3
3. Tyler Stice/Alejandro Moreno (AUB) def. Jake Sweeney/Foster Rogers (ARK) 6-2
Time of match: 2:32 Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2; Singles: 3,5,1 Official: Donna Jerome