Auburn downs MTSU 4-3 in thriller on the road

Auburn downs MTSU 4-3 in thriller on the roadAuburn downs MTSU 4-3 in thriller on the road
David Gray/Auburn Tigers

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Men’s tennis got back in the win column on Friday night, defeating Middle Tennessee State 4-3 in front of a rowdy crowd at the Adams Indoor Tennis Complex in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. With the score tied at three, Auburn freshman Alex Frusina pulled out a three-set victory at the No. 2 singles position to deliver the Tigers to victory.

“It’s good to get out of Murfreesboro with a win,” Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said after the dramatic victory. “It was obviously really important to get that doubles point. Billy (Blaydes) and Will (Nolan) coming back from down a break set the momentum for how we wanted to go into singles. MTSU is a tough team with a tough crowd.”

The doubles point proved to be pivotal in the match, as the Tigers won on courts one and two to claim the point. After Auburn suffered a loss on court three, Frusina and Joey Phillips took advantage of an early 4-1 lead to win 6-3. On the top doubles court, No. 45 Karim Al-Amin and Ondrej Horak took a 3-0 advantage on Will Nolan and Billy Blaydes before the Auburn duo won the next four games to take a 4-3 lead. The two sides went back-and-forth before Nolan and Blaydes ultimately won 6-4 for their 14th overall doubles win together.

MTSU took the early advantage to start singles, winning the opening set on three courts. The Blue Raiders gained momentum by claiming a couple of straight set wins on courts four and five to take the lead 2-1. Redshirt sophomore Nicholas Heng then picked up a straight set win of his own, defeating Igor Mandou Berranger in dominating fashion by a 6-0, 6-2 score to tie the team score at two. The win was Heng’s first dual match singles victory of the season.

There was no shortage of drama in the first set on court one, as Will Nolan and No. 98 Al-Amin continued to hold serve late in the set, leading to a tiebreaker. Nolan prevailed in the tiebreaker then took that momentum into the second set, posting a donut to win 7-6 (4), 6-0 and once again give the Tigers the lead 3-2. Nolan’s victory marked his first over a ranked opponent this season.

Middle Tennessee State’s Shu Matsuoka defeated Billy Blaydes in a second set tiebreaker to win the match on court three in straight sets to tie the team score with one match remaining. The deciding match on court two had just entered a third set when all eyes were moved to court two.

Frusina did not seem to feel the pressure of the MTSU crowd early in the final set, winning each of the first five games over Jakub Kroslak. Kroslak fought back with three consecutive games of his own, but the Auburn freshman ultimately pulled out the win 7-6 (4), 1-6, 6-3 and started a celebration after clinching the team victory.

“We battled really hard from start to finish and if it wasn’t for my teammates, I wouldn’t have been in the position that I was,” Frusina said after clinching the match win. “I just tried to trust my instincts down the stretch and listen to what Coach Bobby (Reynolds) had to say during every changeover. I stayed as level-headed as I could, battled really hard and was able to get the job done.”

With the win, Auburn moves above the .500 mark at 3-2 this season while Middle Tennessee drops to 3-3. The Tigers will return home to face Tulsa and Alabama State in a doubleheader on Sunday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, where admission is free to fans. Live video and live scoring of both matches will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.

 

Auburn 4, Middle Tennessee State 3

Singles Results:

1. Will Nolan (AUB) def. #98 Karim Al-Amin (MTSU) 7-6 (4), 6-0

2. #95 Alex Frusina (AUB) def. Jakub Kroslak (MTSU) 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3

3. Ondrej Horak (MTSU) def. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) 6-1, 6-2

4. Kacper Szymkowiak (MTSU) def. Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-1, 6-4

5. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Igor Mandou Berranger (MTSU) 6-0, 6-2

Doubles Results:

1. #15 Will Nolan/Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. #45 Karim Al-Amin/Ondrej Horak (MTSU) 6-4

2. Alex Frusina/Joey Phillips (AUB) def. Shu Matsuoka/Jakub Kroslak (MTSU) 6-3

3. Kacper Szymkowiak/Rostislav Halfinger (MTSU) def. Nicholas Heng/Thomas Kennedy (AUB) 6-3

 

Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2,1; Singles: 5,4,6,1,3,2