The men’s tennis team of Auburn University emerged victorious with a score of 5-2 against Wisconsin on Friday night at Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison. Despite initially losing the doubles point, the Tigers managed to secure four wins in singles matches, ultimately clinching the overall victory.
This triumph has propelled Auburn to a 4-1 record, while Wisconsin remains without a win this season at 0-7. The Tigers will now embark on a journey to South Bend, Indiana, where they will face Notre Dame on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
It was a truly delightful win for Auburn in Madison tonight 🥛 #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/MqDRvACbeK
The doubles point for Auburn began with an advantage, as Wisconsin had to forfeit court three due to insufficient players. Raul Dobai and Finn Murgett, the top doubles team for the Tigers, started the match strongly with a 3-1 lead. However, Matthew Fullerton and Michael Minasyan of Wisconsin fought back and managed to level the match at three games each, ultimately winning 6-4.
Despite facing a 5-3 deficit in court two, Billy Blaydes and Will Nolan of Auburn made a comeback and forced a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, they were unable to secure the tiebreaker, allowing the Badgers to claim the doubles point.
Moving on to singles matches, Auburn once again began with an advantage, as a walkover win on court six equalized the score at 1-1 before any singles matches had even started. Dobai, Tyler Stice, and Alejandro Moreno all secured victories in the opening set, placing Auburn in a favorable position to swiftly secure the overall win.
Dobai was the first player to finish, dominating Tomas Zlatohlavek with a score of 6-2, 6-1. This victory marked Dobai’s 12th singles win of the season, the highest on the team, and gave Auburn the lead. Meanwhile, Stice managed to pull away from Minasyan in the second set, winning 6-4, 6-4 and bringing the Tigers within one win of securing the overall victory.
Murgett and Blaydes both achieved decisive victories in the second set, forcing their respective matches into a third set. On the other hand, Moreno lost the second set. Blaydes started the third set at a disadvantage, trailing 2-1, but he made a remarkable comeback and tied the set at 3-3. From there, he never looked back, ultimately winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. This victory maintained his perfect record in singles matches this spring, standing at 4-0, and secured the team’s overall victory for the Tigers.
A victorious roar 🗣️
Finn Murgett secures the team’s victory with an exhilarating win on court three 💪
Tyler Stice and Billy Blaydes also secured victories for the Tigers 🐅#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/lkRsUD7z3r
Bobby Reynolds, Auburn coach, expressed his satisfaction after the triumph, stating: “It’s fantastic to discover a way to win even when our tennis performance is not at its best. The team showed great determination, fighting to overcome obstacles and ultimately granting themselves the opportunity to close out matches. We must adopt a more assertive approach in our doubles play and prevent our opponents from dominating the net.”
Men’s doubles:
1. Matthew Fullerton/Michael Minasyan (WISC) defeated Raúl Dobai/Finn Murgett (AUB) 6-4
2. Oliver Olsson/Tomas Zlatohlavek (WISC) defeated Billy Blaydes/Will Nolan (AUB) 7-6 (4)
3. Nicholas Heng/Tyler Stice (AUB) claimed victory due to a walkover
Men’s singles:
1. #84 Tyler Stice (AUB) defeated Michael Minasyan (Wisc) 6-4, 6-4
2. #105 Raúl Dobai (AUB) defeated Tomas Zlatohlavek (Wisc) 6-2, 6-1
3. Finn Murgett (AUB) defeated Matthew Fullerton (Wisc) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
4. Collin Beduhn (Wisc) defeated Alessandro Moreno (AUB) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
5. Billy Blaydes (AUB) defeated Oliver Olsson (Wisc) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
6. Nicholas Heng (AUB) wins by walkover
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org