Bennett finishes NCAA Singles Championship as national finalist

WACO, Texas - Auburn junior DJ Bennett finished the fall season as the 2024-25 NCAA Singles Championship finalist on Sunday at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Bennett’s historic run included five match wins to reach the finals, where she fell to Georgia’s Dasha Vidmanova.

Bennett is the first player in program history to reach the finals in the event, besting Chifchieva's semifinalist finish in 2008 that was the previous best finish for an Auburn player.

“It was an insane run,” Bennett said after the match on Sunday. “I did believe that I could win the tournament, but I never thought that it would happen, especially from where I came from and the year that I had. Struggling in the NCAA Tournament last year, it was a really great tournament with Jordan [Szabo], Pete [Francis] and all of our new staff. I am really grateful for all of them.”

Bennett and doubles partner Ava Hrastar also made history in the NCAA Doubles Championship, reaching the event’s semifinal round. The Auburn pair became the second doubles team in program history to reach the NCAA Doubles Championship final four, joining Pleum Burgmans and Emily Flickinger in 2014.

Bennett and Auburn freshman Merna Refaat earned ITA Singles All-American honors by reaching the singles championship round of 16, while Bennett and Hrastar secured ITA Doubles All-American status by reaching the quarterfinals of the doubles championship. This marks the first time that three Tigers have received All-American honors in the same season since 2008.

"Proud of DJ [Bennett] for a phenomenal event and really establishing herself as one of the elite college players this week," Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said after the tournament. "She ran into a bit of a wall today and didn't get to showcase her best tennis but being in a national championship match is something she deserved and will be better off for going forward. Great week from the team to cap off the fall. Three All-Americans already and the best is yet to come!"

Bennett started the singles championship with back-to-back straight set wins over Carmen Gallardo Guevara of Purdue and Sofia Johnson of Old Dominion, the tournament’s eight-seeded player.

Bennett started off slow in her third-round singles match against California’s Katja Wiersholm on Thursday morning but fought back to force a tiebreaker that she won 7-5 before prevailing in the next set 6-3 to win in straight-sets.

In Saturday’s semifinal round, the Auburn junior split the first two sets with Julia Garcia Ruiz of Oklahoma to set up a winner-take-all third set. Garcia Ruiz kept the momentum from her second set victory, jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the final set. Bennett then won the next three games to take the set lead. After Garcia Ruiz tied the set at five, Bennett prevailed in the next two games, winning the set in a tight return game.

In Sunday’s national title match, Bennett faced second-ranked Dasha Vidmanova of Georgia. With the opening set tied at one, Vidmanova got hot and won the next three games convincingly and later claimed the set 6-3. Vidmanova kept the momentum by jumping up 5-1 in the second set. Bennett fought back with two straight game wins but ultimately fell 6-3 to finish the event as a finalist.

Bennett and Hrastar defeated Appalachian State’s Isabella Romanichen and Savannah Dada-Mascoll in the opening round of the doubles championship, then took down Virginia’s Martina Genis Salas and Annabelle Xu in straight sets to reach the round of eight and solidify their doubles All-American status.

In Friday’s quarterfinals, the Tiger duo faced Isabel Pascual and Jade Otway of TCU. After the TCU pair won the first set and took a 2-0 lead in the second set, the Tigers came back to win the set 6-4 and force a 10-point tiebreaker. Bennett and Hrastar took a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker and ultimately won it 10-7. The Auburn pair then fell in the semifinal match after splitting sets and dropping the tiebreaker to UCLA’s Olivia Center and Kate Fakih.

Refaat received a bid to the NCAA Singles Championship as a freshman after taking the ITA Southern Regional title in October. She defeated Oklahoma’s Gracie Epps and Tennessee’s Elza Tomase in straight sets before falling to Garcia Ruiz in the round of 16.

Junior Angella Okutoyi also earned a spot in the singles championship field but fell in the opening round to Mao Mushika of Cal 6-3, 6-2.

 

Tuesday Results:

#32 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Carmen Gallardo Guevara (PUR) 6-4, 6-1

Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Gracie Epps (OKST) 6-1, 6-4

#107 Mao Mushika (CAL) def. #82 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) 6-3, 6-2

 

Wednesday Results:

#18 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. Isabella Romanichen/Savannah Dada-Mascoll (APP) 6-1, 6-4

#32 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #37 Sofia Johnson (ODU) 6-4, 6-2

Merna Refaat (AUB) def. #62 Elza Tomase (TENN) 7-5, 6-4

 

Thursday Results:

#32 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #33 Katja Wiersholm 7-6 (5), 6-3

#16 Julia Garcia Ruiz (OKLA) def. Merna Refaat (AUB) 7-5, 6-3

#18 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. #30 Annabelle Xu/Martina Genis Salas (UVA) 7-6 (5), 6-4

 

Friday Results:

#32 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #74 Elaine Chervinsky (UVA) 7-5, 5-7, 6-0

#18 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. #12 Jade Otway/Isabel Pascual (TCU) 4-6, 6-4 [10-7]

 

Saturday Results:

#32 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #16 Julia Garcia Ruiz (OKLA) 6-1, 3-6, 7-5

#18 DJ Bennett/Ava Hrastar (AUB) def. Kate Fakih/Olivia Center (UCLA) 6-2, 2-6, 10-7

 

Sunday Results:

#2 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. #32 DJ Bennett (AUB) 6-3, 6-3