SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Auburn men's tennis dropped the second match of its weekend road trip by a 5-1 final score to Notre Dame. Auburn fifth-year senior Finn Murgett's singles win provided the lone point for the Tigers in the match.
Auburn was down early in doubles, trailing 4-1 at one point on both courts one and three. Notre Dame picked up 6-3 wins on both courts to claim the doubles point. Will Nolan and Billy Blaydes' match on court two was tied at five when the match was abandoned.
The Tigers began singles with three opening set wins by Murgett, Moreno and Nolan. Blaydes came back from a 3-2 deficit in his first set, but dropped the close set to Jean-Marc Malksowski 7-5.
Malksowski was the first player to win a singles match for Notre Dame on court five to extend its lead to 2-0. Murgett answered for the Tigers, earning a 6-3, 7-5 win on court three. Murgett's win marks his fourth consecutive win, as he remains perfect at 4-0 in dual singles matches this season.
Notre Dame's Yu Zhang came back after dropping his first set to Nolan, claiming both of the next two sets to earn a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory.
On court two, Raul Dobai won his second set over Nil Giraldez to force a decisive third set. The tight third set went to a tiebreaker that Giraldez ultimately won to claim the match. The final set on court six came to an end at the same time as court one, where Notre Dame's Sebastian Dominko defeated Tyler Stice 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4.
After dropping the first set on court four, Alejandro Moreno won the second set to force a third. Moreno was leading the third set 4-3 when the match was abandoned.
The Irish followed up their win over Auburn with a second win on Sunday over Toledo to improve the team's record to 5-3. The loss drops the Tigers' record to 4-2.
Up next, Auburn will return home for a doubleheader on Feb. 18 featuring Middle Tennessee and The Citadel. The two matches will be played at noon CT and 4 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Notre Dame 5, Auburn 1
Singles Results:
1. #70 Sebastian Dominko (ND) def. #84 Tyler Stice (AUB) 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4
2. Nil Giraldez (ND) def. #105 Raul Dobai (AUB) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 7-6 (6-1)
3. Finn Murgett (AUB) def. Jameson Corsillo (ND) 6-3, 7-5
4. Chase Thompson (ND) vs. Alejandro Moreno (AUB) 5-7, 7-5, 3-4, unfinished
5. Jean-Marc Malkowski (ND) def. Billy Blaydes (AUB) 7-5, 6-2
6. Yu Zhang (ND) def. Will Nolan (AUB) 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles Results:
1. Sebastian Dominko/Jean-Marc Malkowski (ND) def. Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett (AUB) 6-3
2. Evan Lee/Chase Thompson (ND) vs. Will Nolan/Billy Blaydes (AUB) 5-5, unfinished
3. Brian Bilsey/Nil Giraldez (ND) def. Nicholas Heng/Tyler Stice (AUB) 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3 Singles: 5,3,1,2,6; Official: Marc Bussan
