Auburn defeats Belmont 4-0 in first round of NCAA Championship

NCAA Championship Bracket Box Score
Auburn defeats Belmont 4-0 in first round of NCAA ChampionshipAuburn defeats Belmont 4-0 in first round of NCAA Championship
Zach Kelly

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Men’s tennis shutout Belmont 4-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Championship on Saturday morning at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio. With the victory, the Tigers will face No. 6 Ohio State in the second round of the championship on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.

“Survive and advance, that’s what it’s about in the NCAA Championship,” said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. “Came out a little show and trying to find our footing, but got through the doubles and had some quick bright spots with Billy (Blaydes), Hamza (Nasridinov) and Nick (Heng).

“We have to be ready for a great team in the next round and play aggressive tennis from the first ball. There’s no time to work into things tomorrow and need to commit to aggressive tennis.”

Steady rain forced the first match of the NCAA Columbus Regional to be played inside the Ty Tucker Tennis Center rather than on the outdoor courts at the Auer Tennis Complex as originally planned.

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Auburn’s top doubles team of Will Nolan and Alex Frusina, which received a ranking of No. 78 this week, jumped out to a 4-1 lead over Stefan Vedovelli and Esteban Ortiz before claiming the match 6-2. At the No. 3 doubles position, Auburn’s Jake Kennedy and Hamza Nasridinov overcame an early deficit to win their match 6-4 and clinch the doubles point for the Tigers.

In singles, Auburn kept its momentum with opening set victories on four courts. Auburn’s Nicholas Heng did not allow a game in his first set against Eli Mizerski on court five. Heng went on to win the match 6-0, 6-2 to improve his record to 24-14 overall and 17-7 in dual matches this season.

On court four, Nasridinov jumped out to a 4-1 lead before earning a convincing 6-1 first set win over Stefan Vedovelli. With the second set tied at three, the Auburn freshman then took each of the next three games to claim the match 6-1, 6-3 and give the Tigers a 3-0 advantage in the match.

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At the No. 3 singles position, Auburn junior Billy Blaydes dominated his first set over Diego Castro 6-1. Blaydes then took the first couple of games of his second set to earn an early break and went on to win in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. The win marked Blaydes’ 25th overall singles win of the season and clinched the team victory for the Tigers.

With the win, Auburn has advanced to the NCAA Championship Round of 32 for the second consecutive season and the 17th time in program history.

Live video and live scoring of Sunday’s second round match will be available online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

 

#31 Auburn 4, Belmont 0

Singles Results:

  1. Will Nolan (AUB) vs. Esunge Ndumbe (BELM) 6-2, 5-2, unfinished
  2. #68 Alex Frusina (AUB) vs. Charlie Robin (BELM) 4-6, 2-2, unfinished
  3. Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Diego Castro (BELM) 6-1, 6-3
  4. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Stefan Vedovelli (BELM) 6-1, 6-3
  5. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Eli Mizerski (BELM) 6-0, 6-2
  6. Joey Phillips (AUB) vs. Morgan Woodson (BELM) 4-6, 2-2, unfinished

Doubles Results:

  1. #78 Will Nolan/Alex Frusina (AUB) def. Stefan Vedovelli/Esteban Ortiz (BELM) 6-2
  2. Billy Blaydes/Joey Phillips (AUB) vs. Esunge Ndumbe/Charlie Robin (BELM) 5-4, unfinished
  3. Jake Kennedy/Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Eli Mizerski/Diego Castro (BELM) 6-4

 

Time of match: 1:45; Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3; Singles: 5,4,3; Official: Julio Colon