Tigers upset No. 18 Oklahoma, defeat Belmont in Thursday doubleheader

Tigers upset No. 18 Oklahoma, defeat Belmont in Thursday doubleheaderTigers upset No. 18 Oklahoma, defeat Belmont in Thursday doubleheader
David Gray/Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. – Men’s tennis earned a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 18 Oklahoma and took down Belmont by a 4-1 score during a doubleheader at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on Thursday in Auburn, Alabama. With the score tied at three against the Sooners, senior captain Will Nolan defeated No. 76 Oscar Lacides with the help of two tiebreaker wins to clinch the victory for the Tigers.

We knew Oklahoma is unbelievably good team, especially in the doubles,” Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said after the two wins. “I don't think they have lost a doubles point in SEC competition. I felt like that was a massive point that we needed to get. Looking back now, our guys just came out and fought, and that's what our DNA is. They're going to keep trying to build point after point. To go after losing the doubles point win five first sets, I think that swung the momentum in our favor and it started to build confidence in our guys that we're able to hold on to four of those. And that's not easy to do in the SEC.”

Due to inclement weather, the first match of the day was moved to the indoor courts at the Yarbrough Tennis Center before the weather allowed the second match to be played outdoors.

Nolan and Billy Blaydes picked up their 23rd overall win over the season over No. 39 Oscar Lacides and Bruno Nhavene on the top doubles court before Oklahoma earned a 6-4 win on court three. On court two, Oklahoma’s Luis Alvarez and Kholo Montsi jumped out to a 3-1 lead over Alex Frusina and Joey Phillips before the Auburn pair came back to tie the set at three. The two sides went back and fourth, leading to a tight tiebreaker that was won by Oklahoma 9-7 to clinch the doubles point.

Auburn bounced back in singles, winning the opening set on five of six courts. The Sooners were the first to strike blood in singles, picking up a straight set win on court four to briefly take a 2-0 lead. On court six, Nicholas Heng and Alejandro Melero were tied at five in the first set before Heng won the next two games to win the set 7-5. He then took that momentum into the second set, where he won four of the first five games before eventually winning the match 7-5, 6-4.

Oklahoma got some momentum back, as Kholo Montsi came back from dropping his first set to Frusina 6-1 to win the match in three sets. Moments later, Billy Blaydes posted an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Orel Kimhi at the No. 3 singles position to trim Oklahoma’s match lead to 3-2.

At the No. 5 singles position, Auburn’s Hamza Nasridinov won four consecutive games after starting down 3-5 to win the first set 7-5. The Auburn freshman then batted back from a 4-2 deficit in the second set to win a crucial match for the Tigers and tie the team score at three.

After winning the first set in a tiebreaker, Nolan and Lacides went back-and-forth in the second set that eventually led to another tiebreaker. Nolan faced multiple set points before ultimately prevailing in the tiebreaker to win the match 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6) to clinch the upset for the Tigers.

“We came out slow,” Reynolds said about the Belmont match. “I think we're playing on heavy legs but it's no excuse. Our guys need to be ready every single time and that's part of the reason we play these double headers is that you get to see more action, and you have to be ready to go. We bounced back and had great finish to the day.”

Belmont made a mark in the doubles in the second match of the doubleheader, winning the doubles point with a 6-4 victory on court one and a tiebreaker victory on court three.

Auburn bounced back in singles, as Frusina and Heng earned quick straight set wins to give Auburn a 2-1 lead in the match. Nasridinov picked up his second singles win of the day on court five, defeating Stefan Vedovelli 6-2, 6-3. Phillips ultimately clinched the win over Belmont, defeating Morgan Woodson 7-5, 6-2.

With the two victories, Auburn improves to 12-6 overall this season and the win over Oklahoma evens its SEC record at 4-4. Up next, Auburn will stay on the Plains to host Ole Miss at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday morning. Live video and live scoring of the match will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.

 

#39 Auburn 4, #18 Oklahoma 3

Singles Results:

  1. Will Nolan (AUB) def. #76 Oscar Lacides (OU) 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6)
  2. Kholo Montsi (OU) def. Alex Frusina (AUB) 1-6, 6-3, 6-0
  3. Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Orel Kimhi (OU) 6-4, 6-4
  4. Luis Alvarez (OU) def. Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-2, 6-3
  5. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Jordan Hasson (OU) 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)
  6. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Alejandro Melero (OU) 7-5, 6-4

Doubles Results:

  1. #13 Billy Blaydes/Will Nolan (AUB) def. #39 Oscar Lacides/Bruno Nhavene (OU) 6-3
  2. Luis Alvarez/Kholo Montsi (OU) def. Alex Frusina/Joey Phillips (AUB) 7-6 (9-7)
  3. Asahi Harazaki/Alejandro Melero (OU) def. Nicholas Heng/Jake Kennedy (AUB) 6-4

 

Time of match: 3:28; Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3,2; Singles: 4,6,2,3,5,1; Official: Donna Jerome

 

#39 Auburn 4, Belmont 1

Singles Results:

  1. Will Nolan (AUB) vs. Charlie Robin (BELM) 6-1, 4-6, unfinished
  2. Alex Frusina (AUB) def. Esunge Ndumbe (BELM) 6-1, 6-0
  3. Billy Blaydes (AUB) vs. Sabi Roi (BELM) 6-3, 5-4, unfinished
  4. Joey Phillips (AUB) def. Morgan Woodson (BELM) 7-5, 6-2
  5. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Stefan Vedovelli (BELM) 6-2, 6-3
  6. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Eli Mizerski (BELM) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles Results:

  1. Sabi Roi/Stefan Vedovelli (BELM) def. #13 Billy Blaydes/Will Nolan (AUB) 6-4
  2. Alex Frusina/Joey Phillips (AUB) def. Esunge Ndumbe/Charlie Robin (BELM) 6-2
  3. Diego Castro/Eli Mizerski (BELM) def. Jake Kennedy/Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) 7-6 (6-2)

 

Time of match: 2:30; Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1,3; Singles: 2,6,5,4; Official: Donna Jerome