No. 18 Auburn pulls off comeback victory over No. 13 Vanderbilt

Box Score
No. 18 Auburn pulls off comeback victory over No. 13 VanderbiltNo. 18 Auburn pulls off comeback victory over No. 13 Vanderbilt
David Gray/Auburn Tigers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 18 Auburn men’s tennis came back in dramatic fashion to upset 13th-ranked Vanderbilt on Friday afternoon, winning 5-2 at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The Commodores claimed the doubles point and four first sets in singles, but the Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win the match 5-2 with four match victories in three sets.

“It was a great team win today,” Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said after the match. “Our backs were against the wall and credit to Vanderbilt to coming out and taking it to us early in the doubles to set the tone. They played aggressive tennis and played with a lot of confidence. But credit to our boys. They never stopped fighting and never stopped clawing back.

“I think the big flip of the match was when Nicholas Heng clawed his way back from a set and a break down to win the second set. You could just feel the momentum turn. For our guys to be successful in third sets and find ways to win is them growing and developing. Excited to get out of here with a win over a great team and looking to build before Kentucky.”

The Commodores began with a strong doubles point, claiming the No. 1 position by a 6-3 score. At the No. 3 doubles position, Auburn’s Hamza Nasridinov and Jake Kennedy held serve against Vanderbilt’s Jack Satterfield and Hugo Coquelin late into the match, but the Vanderbilt duo pulled away late to win 7-5 and claim the doubles point.

Vanderbilt then started singles with opening-set wins on four courts, with Nasridinov and Freddy Blaydes claiming first sets for Auburn. Vanderbilt then converted one of those opening-set wins into a straight-set victory at the No. 5 position, 6-4, 7-5, to take a 2-0 lead.

At the No. 3 singles position, Vanderbilt’s Nathan Cox won the first set over Auburn’s Nicholas Heng 6-2. Heng overcame an early 3-1 deficit in the second set and eventually won the set on a break to love in the final game to force a third set. The Auburn redshirt junior dominated the third set, winning five straight games to close out the match 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. The win improves Heng’s dual-match singles record to 10-3 this season and marks his fourth straight singles victory.

On the top singles court, Nasridinov and Pablo Martinez Gomez held serve for most of the opening set, which Nasridinov ultimately won in a tiebreaker 7-3. The two sides continued to go back and forth in the second set, with the Auburn sophomore coming through with a crucial break on a deciding point in the final game to win the match 7-6 (3), 7-5 for his 22nd overall singles victory of the season. The win tied the team score at two.

Auburn’s Billy Blaydes bounced back from a first-set loss to Hoyoung Roh to cruise through the second set, winning it 6-2. Roh came back from an early break in the third set to tie the set at two, but Blaydes pulled out the victory by breaking serve twice late in the match. Blaydes won 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to give Auburn its first lead of the match at 3-2 and swing the momentum to the Tigers.

Leading 4-3 in the opening set, Auburn’s Freddy Blaydes earned a break on a deciding point before holding serve in the final game of the set against Vanderbilt’s Danil Panarin to win it 6-3. Panarin came back with a 6-2 win in the second set, forcing a third. With the score tied at four in the final set, Blaydes fed off the energy from his brother’s singles victory and won each of the next two games to claim the three-set win and clinch the team victory for the Tigers.

After the team result was decided, Auburn freshman Manel Lazaro added a 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 comeback win to make it five unanswered points for the Tigers and set the final score at 5-2.

The win improves Auburn’s record to 14-2 overall this season and 4-1 in SEC play. Auburn has won four matches in a row and both of its road conference matches this season. The upset victory also marks the third win over a team in the ITA top 25 this season.

The Tigers will stay on the road for their next match, facing Kentucky at noon CT on Sunday. Live video and scoring of Sunday’s match from the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex will be available at UKAthletics.com.

 

#18 Auburn 5, #13 Vanderbilt 2

Singles Results:

  1. #33 Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. #115 Pablo Martinez Gomez (VAN) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
  2. #61 Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. #90 Hoyoung Roh (VAN) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
  3. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Nathan Cox (VAN) 2-6, 7-5, 6-1
  4. Freddy Blaydes (AUB) def. Danil Panarin (VAN) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
  5. Jack Satterfield (VAN) def. Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-4, 7-5
  6. Alan Bojarski (AUB) def. Hugo Coquelin (VAN) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2

Doubles Results:

  1. #49 Nathan Cox/Hoyoung Roh (VAN) def. #25 Billy Blaydes/Freddy Blaydes (AUB) 6-3
  2. Pablo Martinez Gomez/Danil Panarin (VAN) vs. Nicholas Heng/Joey Phillips (AUB) 5-5, unfinished
  3. Jack Satterfield/Hugo Coquelin (VAN) def. Alan Bojarski/Jake Kennedy (AUB) 7-5

 

Time of match: 3:25 Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3; Singles: 5,3,1,2,4,6 Official: Andrew Rogers