AUBURN, Ala. – No. 4 Auburn women’s tennis downed Western Carolina and UAB by identical 7-0 scores Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers did not drop a set in doubles or singles during either match of the doubleheader.
“It was great to get a lot of tennis in and everyone got to play singles,” Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said. “It was great to have Angella (Okutoyi) back, and we’ll have Stefani (Webb) back on Sunday, which we’re excited about as well. I thought it went much better in the second doubles than the first, and that’s why we play these matches early in the year — to get a lot of matches in, get better and get used to playing the no-ad points.
“I thought it was a really good day. It’s unusual to play an indoor match and then an outdoor match. There was a big temperature drop throughout the day, and it played much slower than inside, but we wanted to get an outdoor match in before the kickoff weekend, which could be played outside here in Auburn. That was challenging for the girls, but I think they handled it well and were mature about it.”
Auburn began the day strong with a 6-0 win on court two from Ashton Bowers and Ekaterina Khairutdinova and a 6-2 victory on court one from DJ Bennett and Angella Okutoyi.
In singles, sophomore Natalie Outcalt downed Zoe Lui 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 6 position to give Auburn a 2-0 advantage. Ava Esposito also won in straight sets before Bowers defeated Keira Steward without dropping a game to clinch the team victory for the Tigers.
After the match was secured, Alice Battesti, Merna Refaat and Bennett closed out straight-set wins to complete the 7-0 shutout.
The Tigers moved from the indoor courts to the outdoor courts at the Yarbrough Tennis Center for their second match of the day against UAB. Auburn again looked dominant in doubles, earning 6-0 wins on two courts to secure the doubles point.
Outcalt earned a quick 6-0 opening-set win before claiming her second singles victory of the day at the No. 6 position. Khairutdinova also won in straight sets on the top singles court. Refaat clinched the match for the Tigers with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Klara Kajabova.
After the match was decided, Battesti, Okutoyi and Eva Ionescu each recorded straight-set wins to complete a second 7-0 shutout.
Auburn will return to action Sunday, hosting Liberty and Alabama A&M at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT. Fans in attendance at both matches will receive free popcorn while supplies last. Live video and live scoring for each match will be available at AuburnTigers.com. More fan information is available at AuburnTigers.com/MatchDay.
#4 Auburn 7, Western Carolina 0
Singles Results:
- DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Mariya Dobreva (WCU) 6-1, 7-5
- Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Jenelle Roberts (WCU) 7-5, 6-1
- #27 Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Keira Stewart (WCU) 6-0, 6-0
- Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Mia Miranda (WCU) 6-0, 6-1
- Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Axelle Van Beurden (WCU) 6-2, 6-0
- #119 Natalie Outcalt (AUB) def. Zoe Lui (WCU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles Results:
- DJ Bennett/Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. Mia Miranda/Mariya Dobreva (WCU) 6-2
- Ashton Bowers/E. Khairutdinova (AUB) def. Keira Stewart/Jenelle Roberts (WCU) 6-0
- Ava Esposito/Eva Ionescu (AUB) def. Zoe Lui/Axelle Van Beurden (WCU) 6-3
Time of match: 2:06 Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1,3; Singles: 6,4,3,5,2,1 Official: Donna Jerome
#4 Auburn 7, UAB 0
Singles Results:
- E. Khairutdinova (AUB) def. Kristyna Damaskova (UAB) 6-0, 6-4
- Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. Nera Tesankic (UAB) 6-3, 6-2
- Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Klara Kajabova (UAB) 6-2, 6-1
- Eva Ionescu (AUB) def. Gresi Bajri (UAB) 6-2, 7-5
- Alice Battesti (AUB) def. Julia Caffarena (UAB) 6-4, 6-0
- Natalie Outcalt (AUB) def. Antonia Ende (UAB) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles Results:
- #59 DJ Bennett/Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Klara Kajabova/Kristyna Damaskova (UAB) 6-0
- #55 E. Khairutdinova/Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Gresi Bajri/Nera Tesankic (UAB) 6-0
- Merna Refaat/Angella Okutoyi (AUB) vs. Julia Caffarena/Antonia Ende (UAB) 4-3, unfinished
Time of match: 1:51 Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1; Singles: 6,1,3,5,2,4 Official: Donna Jerome