Feb. 10, 2012
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn's 16th-ranked men's tennis team remained unbeaten in 2012 as they defeated Southern Miss, 6-1, on a chilly Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Tigers improved to 5-0 on the season (3-0 at home), continuing their best start to a campaign since beginning the 2007 season with a 6-0 mark. Southern Miss fell to 2-2.
"I thought Southern Miss was a better team than we played last year," Auburn head coach Eric Shore said. "I thought we showed some signs of rust from two weeks without a match. We've got to get better if we want to get where we want to be at the end of the year. Sunday (against South Florida) is going to be a very tough match. They may be 0-4, but we know how good they are, and we need to be ready."
The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead, sweeping the three doubles matches. The No. 3 pairing of Dennis Lengsfeld and Lucas Lopasso took down Michael Elortegui and Andrew Goodwin, 8-5, just a few moments before Daniel Cochrane and Alex Stamchev finished off Inaki Belloso and Matt Frost, 8-2, to clinch the doubles point. Andreas Mies and Lukas Ollert had to fight hard for the win on court two, but they were able to outlast Paulo Alvarado and Juan Escobar, 8-6.
In singles, the 18th-ranked Mies made quick work of Matt Frost with a 6-1, 6-1 win on court one. Ollert earned a win at No. 4 singles when his opponent, Belloso, retired with an injury to give Auburn a 3-0 lead. Ollert had just won the first set, 6-4. Shortly thereafter, the Tigers clinched the win as Stamchev remained unbeaten in singles play in the spring (5-0) at the No. 2 position with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Alvarado.
Lengsfeld made it a 5-0 Auburn lead with a 6-3, 6-2 win at the No. 3 singles position over Escobar. Southern Miss got on the board on court six as Auburn's Rafael Rondino fought his way back from a huge early hole, but fell in a second-set tiebreaker to Goodwin, 6-1, 7-6 (4). And the No. 5 singles match went to a third-set super tiebreaker, ultimately won by Lopasso to finish out the day with a 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (12-10) win over Jovan Zelkovic.
The Tigers will wrap up the two-match homestand Sunday as they play host to No. 56 South Florida. The match is slated for a noon start at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, and admission is free.
Auburn Men's Tennis Results
February 10, 2012
Yarbrough Tennis Center - Auburn, Ala.
No. 16 Auburn 6, Southern Miss 1
Singles
1. #18 Andreas Mies (AU) def. Matt Frost (USM), 6-1, 6-1
2. Alex Stamchev (AU) def. Paulo Alvarado (USM), 6-4, 6-2
3. Dennis Lengsfeld (AU) def. Juan Escobar (USM), 6-3, 6-2
4. Lukas Ollert (AU) def. Inaki Belloso (USM), 6-4, ret.
5. Lucas Lopasso (AU) def. Jovan Zelkovic (USM), 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (12-10)
6. Andrew Goodwin (USM) def. Rafael Rondino (AU), 6-1, 7-6 (4)
Order of finish: 1, 4, 2, 3, 6, 5
Doubles
1. Alex Stamchev/Daniel Cochrane (AU) def. Matt Frost/Inaki Belloso (USM), 8-2
2. Andreas Mies/Lukas Ollert (AU) def. Paulo Alvarado/Juan Escobar (USM), 8-6
3. Dennis Lengsfeld/Lucas Lopasso (AU) def. Michael Elortegui/Andrew Goodwin (USM), 8-5
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Match Notes
Auburn 5-0, National Ranking #16
Southern Miss 2-2
Time of match: 3:38