TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Auburn men’s tennis wrapped up play at the ITA Southern Regional Championships on Monday at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Tiger doubles team of Joey Phillips and Nicholas Heng reached the semifinals, while two Tigers advanced to the singles quarterfinals.
“Disappointing not to get some of the guys through to the NCAA Tournament with this regional,” Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said. “I felt like we gave ourselves a good chance with two guys in the quarterfinals of singles and a team in the doubles semifinals. It allows us to move on to sectionals and give ourselves another chance in a few weeks. In the next couple of weeks of practice and even tournaments, we’ll continue to focus on being aggressive, playing with trust and trying to win matches when the opportunity presents itself.
“At times, we’re still trying to feel our way into matches and hope for unforced errors rather than taking the match by the hands and going after it. We’ll continue to work on more aggressive tennis and look forward to another opportunity at sectionals.”
After receiving a first-round bye, Heng and Phillips opened their run with an 8-4 victory over Juan Pablo Valdez Guzon and Conor Flynn of UAB. The Auburn pair then won twice on Sunday — a tiebreaker win over Lachlan Brain and Alex Despoja, followed by an 8-6 victory over Sebastian Harrison and Vitorio Sardinha — before falling in the semifinals to Isac Stromberg and Kai Milburn of Ole Miss.
Billy Blaydes and Freddy Blaydes earned a doubles victory over Piotr Andrzejewski and Steven Rice of Tulane to reach the round of 16, while Jake Kennedy and Hamza Nasridinov also advanced to the round of 16 with a pair of doubles wins.
In the singles main draw, Billy Blaydes and Nasridinov each advanced to the quarterfinals. Blaydes defeated Mississippi State’s Michal Novansky 6-4, 6-3, Tulane’s Daniel Phillips 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-0 and Alabama’s Andrii Zimnokh 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Nasridinov earned straight-set victories over Troy’s Stephan Noale, South Alabama’s Juan Accossatto and Mississippi State’s Niccolo Baroni.
Thomas Kennedy qualified for the singles main draw after posting two wins in the qualifying draw, defeating Gianluca Filoramo of Louisiana and Martin Schwartzman of Samford. Phillips also picked up a main draw win over Louis Boilevin of Troy.
Up next, Auburn will have players competing in the CCB Collegiate Invitational at the Country Club of Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama, Oct. 24-26.
Auburn results:
Thursday Results:
Thomas Kennedy (AUB) def. Gianluca Filoramo (ULL) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1)
Thomas Kennedy (AUB) def. Martin Schwartzman 6-2, 6-2
Friday Results:
Jake Kennedy/Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Juan Accossatto/Jules Caby (USA) 8-4
Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Michal Novansky (MSST) 6-4, 6-3
Joey Phillips (AUB) def. Louis Boilevin (TROY) 0-6, 6-1, 6-1
Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSST) def. Nicholas Heng (AUB) 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (4)
Matic Kriznik (ALA) def. Thomas Kennedy (AUB) 6-1, 6-2
Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Stephan Noale (TROY) 6-3, 7-5
Raphael Vaksmann (MSST) def. Freddy Blaydes (AUB) 6-3, 7-5
Saturday Results:
#20 Billy Blaydes/Freddy Blaydes (AUB) def. Piotr Andrzejewski/Steven Rice (TUL) 8-6
Jake Kennedy/Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Matic Kriznik/Vit Kalina (ALA) 6-2, ret.
Joey Phillips/Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Conor Flynn/Juan Pablo Valdez Guzon (UAB) 8-4
Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Juan Accossatto (USA) 6-3, 6-4
Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Daniel Phillips (TUL) 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-0
#31 Petar Jovanovic (MSST) def. Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-2, 6-2
Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. #62 Niccolo Baroni (MSST) 6-3, 6-4
Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Andrii Zimnokh (ALA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
Vit Kalina (ALA) def. Freddy Blaydes (AUB) 6-3, 6-2
Thomas Kennedy (AUB) def. Samuel Kyjaci (ULL) 6-4, 6-3
Sunday Results:
Matic Kriznik (ALA) def. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) 6-4, 6-3
#31 Petar Jovanovic (MSST) def. Billy Blaydes (AUB) 6-3, 6-1
Hady El Kordy (TUL) def. Freddy Blaydes (AUB) 6-3, 6-7 (5), [10-6]
Joey Phillips (AUB) def. Loan Lestir (MISS) 6-4, 2-6, [10-8]
Thomas Kennedy (AUB) def. Andres Delgadillo (TUL) 6-3, 6-2
Monday Results:
Isac Stromberg/Kai Milburn (MISS) def. Joey Phillips/Nicholas Heng (AUB) 6-4, 6-2