Jan. 22, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn opened the 2017 men's tennis season with a 4-3 win at UCF Sunday morning, the first win under head coach Bobby Reynolds.
"I'm very pleased with how the guys competed today. The conditions were brutal with high winds, but they rose to the occasion and were mentally strong with their shot selections," Reynolds said of the blustery weather in Orlando at the USTA National Campus courts that moved the match from afternoon to a 9 a.m. start.
Auburn started the early-morning match in strong fashion, capturing the doubles point. On court one, Max Hinnisdaels and Conner Huertas del Pino, the nation's 14th-ranked doubles tandem, posted a 6-3 win over Harrison Richmond and Mariano Porter. UCF picked up the win on court three, so court two, where Dante Saleh and Edward Nguyen were tied 4-4 with Korey Lovett and Kalman Boyd from UCF, was the decider. Out of that deadlock, Saleh and Nguyen captured the next two points to win 6-4 and give the Tigers the doubles point overall.
Freshman Carles Sarrio, junior Edward Nguyen and sophomore Brandon Laubser all posted first-set wins in singles. Sarrio, playing Kalman Boyd, gave Auburn its first singles point with a 6-2, 6-1 win on court two.
Nguyen, on court four, was forced to a third set by Mariano Porter, but the Auburn Tiger dominated the last frame for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory. With the match tied 3-3, Laubser on court six went to a third set, where he took a 5-1 lead and held on to win the match 7-6, 3-6, 7-5, clinching the team win for Auburn.
"The match came down to conditioning at No. 6, and as a coach, there's nobody I'd rather have on the court there than Brandon," Reynolds said "It was a great team effort all around."
Auburn is now 1-0 on the season, while previously unbeaten UCF goes to 3-1.
Next weekend, the Tigers play at No. 2 Wake Forest in the ITA Kickoff matches. Auburn faces Georgia State in the first round Friday, and will play either Wake Forest or Nebraska in a Saturday match.
Auburn opens its home season on Saturday, February 4, with a pair of matches against Alabama A&M (10 a.m. and 3 p.m.) and hosts Georgia Tech on Sunday, February 5, at 1 p.m. All home matches are at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.
Auburn 4, UCF 3
Singles:
Korey Lovett (UCF) def. Max Hinnisdaels (AU) 7-5, 7-6 (3)
Carles Sarrio (AU) def. Kalman Boyd (UCF) 6-2, 6-1
Harrison Richmond (UCF) def. Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) 6-2, 6-3
Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Chris Barrus (UCF) def. Dante Saleh (AU) 6-4, 6-1
Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Danny Kerznerman (UCF) 7-6 (4), 3-6 ,7-5
Doubles:
Max Hinnisdaels/Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) def. Harrison Richmond/Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-3
Dante Saleh/Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Korey Lovett/Kalman Boyd (UCF) 6-4
Chris Barrus/Enrique Paya (UCF) def. Brandon Laubser/Carles Sarrio (AU) 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles: 3,1,2; Singles: 2,5,3,1,4,6