GREENVILLE, S.C. – Auburn sophomore Ava Esposito claimed her respective singles flight title during Auburn’s first event of the fall season at the Debbie Southern Furman Fall Classic in Greenville, South Carolina over the weekend. A trio of Tiger freshman made their collegiate tennis debut at the tournament: Alice Battesti, Natalie Outcalt and Julie Bedard.
“This weekend provided a tough but rewarding start for our players," Auburn assistant coach Valeriya Zeleva said at the conclusion of the tournament. "Given the challenging weather conditions and the number of matches, it was difficult to compete, but they all managed the challenges well.
"I especially want to highlight Ava Esposito for her disciplined play and positive attitude in winning a tough fight. Additionally, Alice (Battesti), Julie (Bedard) and Natalie (Outcalt) experienced their first colelge tournament, showcasing impressive tennis and most importantly, a strong fighting spirit. Their performances were promising and indicate a bright future ahead."
Esposito started her run at the draw title with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Annabelle Davis of Clemson before dominating Clemson’s Kinsey Crawford with a couple of bagels and winning 6-0, 6-0 in a match outside the draw. In Sunday’s final, the sophomore posted her third straight-set win by defeating NC State’s Kristina Paskauskas 6-1, 7-6 (5).
Esposito and Battesti began the tournament with their first win as doubles partners after taking down Wake Forest’s Sankvi Gownder and Brianna Baldi 6-2, then won again on Saturday over NC State’s Mia Slama and Gabia Paskauskas 6-4.
Outcalt and Bedard both claimed their first college victories in doubles and singles on Saturday. The two freshman teamed up to take down Elena Daskalova and Arina Oreshchenkova of Texas Tech 7-5. Bedard defeated Anna Kantor of South Carolina in straight sets while Outcalt took down Kentucky’s Asunction Jadue in straight sets on Saturday as well as Kantor in three sets on Sunday.
Up next on the fall schedule, Auburn will travel two players to the ITA All-American Championships in Cary, North Carolina. The NCAA Singles & Doubles qualifying event will take place Sept. 21-29.
Friday Results:
Ava Esposito/Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Sankvi Gownder/Brianna Baldi (WAKE) 6-2
Asuncion Jadue/Julia Zhu (UK) def. Natalie Outcalt/Julie Bedard (AUB) 6-3
Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Annabelle Davis (CLEM) 6-4, 6-2
Maddy Zampardo (NCST) def. Alice Battesti (AUB) 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-2
Kady Tannenbaum (WAKE) def. Natalie Outcalt (AUB) 6-3, 6-2
Gaia Parravicini (CLEM) def. Julie Bedard (AUB) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Saturday Results:
Alexa Griffith/Marissa Pennings (FUR) def. Ava Esposito/Alice Battesti (AUB) 6-3
Ava Esposito/Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Mia Slama/Gabia Paskauskas (NCST) 6-4
Natalie Outcalt/Julie Bedard (AUB) def. Elena Daskalova/Arina Oreshchenkova (TTU) 7-5
Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Kinsey Crawford (CLEM) 6-0, 6-0
Kate Dmitrichenko (TTU) def. Alice Battesti (AUB) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Natalie Outcalt (AUB) def. Asuncion Jadue (UK) 7-6 (4), 6-4
Julie Bedard (AUB) def. Anna Kantor (SCAR) 6-4, 6-1
Sunday Results:
Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Kristina Paskauskas (NCST) 6-1, 7-6 (5)
#58 Ria Bhakta (CLEM) def. Alice Battesti (AUB) 6-2, 7-5
Asunction Jadue (UK) def. Julie Bedard (AUB) 6-2, 6-2
Natalie Outcalt (AUB) def. Anna Kantor (SCAR) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
