WACO, Texas – Auburn junior DJ Bennett and freshman Merna Refaat each earned ITA Singles All-American honors on Wednesday at the NCAA Singles Championship at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Bennett defeated Sofia Johnson of Old Dominion while Refaat bested Elza Tomase of Tennessee, the tournament’s four-seed, to advance to the round of 16.
The NCAA Doubles Championship featuring Bennett and Hrastar began on Wednesday afternoon. The Auburn pair defeated their first round opponents, Isabella Romanichen and Savannah Dada-Mascoll of Appalachian State, by a 6-1, 6-4 score.
Refaat got off to a slow start in her match, falling behind Tomase 4-0 in the first set. The freshman then caught fire, winning each of the next five games with the first four coming down to a deciding point. Refaat went on to claim the opening set 7-5 after a dominant final game. She then jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second set to put the pressure on Tomase, the higher seed. Refaat then won each of her next three return games before earning the 7-5, 6-4 upset victory.
“It was definitely a tough start with the conditions and trying to get used to how she was playing,” Refaat said after the victory. “She is a tough player and she plays pretty big, so I tried to keep fighting in the match until I found a way.”
“Achieving [All-American status] in my freshman year is something big and it means a lot to me to achieve that in three months. I’ve improved so much with the coaching staff and this team. It’s a good way to end the fall season.”
Bennett got off to a great start in the opening set against Johnson, jumping out to a 4-0 lead. Johnson then took the momentum back by winning the next four consecutive games to tie the set at four. Bennett then held serve and earned a break to win the set 6-4. The Auburn junior took that momentum into the second set where she won the final four games to claim the match 6-4, 6-2.
“I had a pretty big lead in the beginning of the first set and she’s a good player, she made a good comeback,” said Bennett. “I stayed tough in the first set to pull it out 6-4. I kept playing my game, sticking with what was working and pulled it out in straight sets in the end.”
“For me [being an All-American] means a lot. It’s something that I’ve wanted since I first got to college. Being able to do it at the biggest tournament of the year means a lot and I’m honored to get to call myself an All-American.”
An All-American morning in Waco 🦅#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/cehLya68nf
— Auburn Women's Tennis (@AuburnWTennis) November 20, 2024
The two become the 10th and 11th All-American players in program history with the two victories. Auburn has now had multiple represented in the round of 16 in two of the last three NCAA Singles Championships after Carolyn Ansari and Ariana Arseneault both achieved it in 2023. The Tigers have also had at least one player receive All-American status in each of the last five seasons.
Wednesday evening, Bennett and Hrastar sailed through the opening set by winning it 6-1. In the second set, the Tiger duo jumped out to an early 4-1 lead before Romanichen and Dada-Mascoll battled back to win the next three consecutive games to tie the set at four. Bennett and Hrastar then earned a key break before ultimately winning the set 6-4.
On Thursday, Refaat will play Oklahoma’s Julia Garcia Ruiz while Bennett will face California’s Katja Wiersholm at 10 a.m. CT. Bennett and Hrastar will face Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu of Virginia in the second round of the doubles championship on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. CT. A win on Thursday would qualify the Auburn pair as ITA Doubles All-Americans
Television coverage of the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championship will be available on ESPN+. Live scoring for each match will also be available online at ioncourt.com.