Young Tigers find professional success during summer

by Caitlyn Griffin
Young Tigers find professional success during summerYoung Tigers find professional success during summer

Former and current Auburn women’s tennis players represented the Tigers around the world in professional competition over the summer. 

 

Ariana Arseneault

After graduating from Auburn in the spring, Ariana Arseneault secured a spot in the quarterfinal at the National Bank Open, along with a whopping four ITF doubles wins.  

The former All-American and All-SEC selection began her busy summer at the W75+H Granby. Arseneault and partner Mia Kupres logged a spot in the final after three straight-set wins. The Canadian duo defeated Liang En-shuo of Taiwan and Sohyun Park of South Korea in an electric third-set tiebreaker to pick up the doubles title.

Arseneault and Kupres received a wild card bid into their biggest tournament of the summer, the National Bank Open (NBO), in Montreal. After a match tiebreaker in the first round and walkover in the second, the Canadian pair advanced to the quarterfinal but were defeated by the Canadian-New Zealander duo in a tiebreaker. 

Following the NBO, Arseneault and Kurpres earned their second ITF win of the summer at the W35 Saskatoon after three dominant straight-set wins including a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Hiroko Kuwata and Maribella Zamarripa in the finals. In singles, the former Tiger advanced to the quarterfinal after a straight-set victory and a match tiebreaker but fell to fellow Canadian Kayla Cross in two sets. 

Arseneault made her final stop of the summer in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for the W35 Punta Cana. She and Cross, a new doubles partner, won back-to-back tournaments. The Canadian duo secured the crown in the first competition after four straight-set victories. Then at the second tournament, Arseneault and Cross breezed through to the final and won the crown after a tiebreaker. 

 

Carolyn Ansari

Carolyn Ansari, who was named an ITA Singles All-American for the second straight season in June, started her summer in the Dominican Republic at the W15 Santo Domingo alongside Polish partner Olivia Lincer. The recent Auburn graduate and Lincer eased themselves into the semifinal after a straight-set win and third-set tiebreaker before falling to Mexican-American pair Julia Garcia and Sofia Camila Rojas after an electric tiebreaker. 

A week later at the W15 Santo Domingo, Ansari and Lincer posted another semifinal appearance.

The Greensboro, North Carolina native then returned to the States for the W15 Lakewood in California alongside South African partner Gabriella Broadfoot. The pair made the final after three straight-set wins before being defeated in the final in a tiebreaker.

Ansari and Broadfoot returned for the W15 Lakewood a week later and were determined to win the title. The American-South African duo logged their spot in the final after three straight-set victories and won the title after a 10-3 tiebreaker win over Amelia Honer and Teja Tirunelveli.

 

Angella Okutoyi

2024 All-SEC selection Angella Okutoyi made her first stop of the summer in Tunisia for the W15 Monastir, partnering up with fellow Tiger Merna Refaat. After a tiebreaker win in the opening round and a straight-set win, the pair claimed their spot in the final and then secured the title after a dominant straight-set performance.

The Nairobi, Kenya, native stayed in Tunisa for the W35 La Marsa alongside Italian partner Matilde Mariani. The pair advanced to the quarterfinals after a straight-set victory to face Slovakian duo Katarina Kuzmova and Radka Zelnickova, but they were bested by a straight-set win. 

Okutoyi made a run at W15 Casablanca, securing a seat in the quarterfinal in singles and won the doubles title with Irish partner Celine Simunyu. The Kenyan-Irish duo solidified their crown with a dominant straight-set victory over Italian pair Gloria Ceschi and Gaia Squarcialupi in the final.

 

Merna Refaat 

In May, Auburn freshman Refaat competed at the W15 Monastir with Egyptian partner Lamis Alhussein Abdel Aziz and reached the semifinal round. Refaat, who will compete in her first season on the Plains in 2024-25, returned a week later and won the doubles title with Okutoyi.

The young Tiger made two more appearances at the W15 Monastir in June. Alongside partners Patricija Paukštytė and Alhussein Abdel Aziz, both partnerships advanced to the final.