The women’s tennis team from Auburn University suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Texas Longhorns on Sunday while playing away from home. Despite starting strong and winning the doubles point, the Tigers were unable to secure any victories in the singles matches at the Texas Tennis Center.
This win for Texas marked their fourth victory of the season against a top-15 opponent, improving their overall record to 7-2. On the other hand, Auburn’s loss dropped their record to 5-4. The Tigers will continue their road trip with a neutral site game against Pepperdine in Orlando on Friday, Feb. 23.
The first court saw a successful partnership between Ariana Arseneault and DJ Bennett, who played together for the first time this season. They dominated Sabina Zeynalova and Taisiya Pachkaleva with a score of 6-1. Carolyn Ansari and Selin Ovunc, who usually play on court three, stepped onto court two and took a 4-3 lead before winning the match against Malaika Rapolu and Tanya Sasnouskaya with a score of 6-4. This victory in the doubles category marked Auburn’s fifth doubles point of the season.
In the singles matches, Arseneault made a strong comeback after being down 4-1 in the opening set against the 29th-ranked Sasnouskaya. She managed to force a tiebreaker and eventually won the set by a score of 8-6. Bennett also fought back from a 3-1 deficit in her first set against Rapolu, ultimately winning the set in a tiebreaker. However, the Longhorns dominated the opening sets on the other four courts.
Texas secured a straight-set victory on court five, leveling the match at one point. Auburn’s freshman player, Ava Esposito Cogan, managed to win the second set, forcing a decisive third set on court six. However, Texas’ Charlotte Chavatipon emerged victorious on court six, while Zeynalova defeated Ansari on court one, giving the Longhorns a 3-1 lead.
Auburn continued to fight on all three remaining courts, with Bennett even holding a 5-3 lead in her second set on court three at one point. However, Vivian Ovrootsky won the decisive third set against Esposito Cogan, securing the victory for the Longhorns.
Women’s doubles:
1. Ariana Arseneault/DJ Bennett (AUB) defeated #37 Sabina Zeynalova/Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) with a score of 6-1.
2. Selin Ovunc/Carolyn Ansari (AUB) defeated Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) with a score of 6-4.
3. Charlotte Chavatipon/Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) vs. Ava Esposito Cogan/Adeline Flach (AUB) 4-5, unfinished.
Women’s singles:
1. Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) defeated #13 Carolyn Ansari (AUB) with a score of 6-3, 6-3.
2. #29 Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) vs. #61 Ariana Arseneault (AUB) 6-7 (6-8), 6-3, unfinished.
3. #36 Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) vs. #43 DJ Bennett (AUB) 6-7 (5-7), 5-5, unfinished.
4. #120 Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) defeated #104 Selin Ovunc (AUB) with a score of 6-3, 6-3.
5. Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) defeated Adeline Flach (AUB) with a score of 6-1, 6-0.
6. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) defeated Ava Esposito Cogan (AUB) with a score of 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org