AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team opened the 2020 dual match season with a bang Saturday, sweeping a pair of matches against Central Arkansas and UAB at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn (2-0) defeated Central Arkansas 5-0 in the morning match, followed by a 4-0 win over UAB in the afternoon, only losing one set all day.
"We had a long day of matches today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "There are a lot of positives to build on, competitive grit that allowed us to play better in certain spots as the match progressed. We need the same investment from all eight players on a daily basis. As we prepare for our next competitive opportunities, the consistency with which we train is of the utmost importance."
Auburn started things off with a 5-0 win over Central Arkansas. The ninth-ranked team of senior Taylor Russo and Selin Ovunc downed UCA's Xin & Nonoyama, 6-3, and freshman Carolyn Ansari and sophomore Yu Chen took care of Ishimura and Engback, 6-2, to secure the doubles point and a 1-0 lead. Georgie Axon and Madeline Meredith, ranked 59th nationally, were leading their match 5-4 when play was halted on court two.
In singles, Axon made quick work of UCA's Jaeun Lee with a 6-0, 6-0 win at the No. 4 spot to put the Tigers ahead 2-0. The third and fourth points came quickly as Ovunc finished off Gledic on court three, 6-2, 6-1, and Ansari clinched the win on court five with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ishimura. Meredith went ahead and finished off her match on court six against Engback, picking up a 6-1, 6-2 win.
Russo won the first set over Xin 6-1 and was on serve at 1-2 when the match was suspended. Chen was down 2-6, 0-5 on court two when the match ended.
Against UAB, Auburn again claimed the doubles point as the top two courts picked up wins. Ovunc and Russo downed UAB's Hermann and Hecking, 6-2, and Axon and Meredith won over Wasserbauerova and Grzywocz, 6-0. Ansari and Chen were up 4-2 in an unfinished match on court three.
It was quickly 2-0 as freshman Caraline Scheufler picked up a walkover win over UAB's Dominika Hrabalova on court six. Meredith earned her second singles win of the day, downing UAB's Megan Bertands at the No. 5 spot, 6-1, 6-2, and Ovunc finished off the victory on court three with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Adela Wasserbauerova.
At the time play was halted, Russo had won a first-set tiebreaker 7-6 (2) and was tied 1-1 in the second. Chen was up 6-1, 4-2 on court two, and Ansari was up a set but down 5-2 in the second set on court four.
The Tigers will hit the road next week for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C. Auburn will face second-ranked North Carolina in the opening match Friday, then take on either Old Dominion or Columbia Saturday.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Auburn Women's Tennis Results – Saturday, Jan. 18
Auburn 5, Central Arkansas 0
Doubles
1. #9 Ovunc/Russo (AU) def. Xin/Nonoyama (UCA), 6-3
2. #59 Axon/Meredith (AU) vs. Gledic/Vasupongchai (UCA), 5-4 unfinished
3. Ansari/Chen (AU) def. Ishimura/Engback (UCA), 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. #79 Taylor Russo (AU) vs. Chunxi Xin (UCA), 6-1, 1-2 unfinished
2. #123 Yu Chen (AU) vs. Fuka Nonoyama (UCA), 2-6, 0-5 unfinished
3. Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Maja Gledic (UCA), 6-2, 6-1
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Jaeun Lee (UCA), 6-0, 6-0
5. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Mei Ishimura (UCA), 6-1, 6-0
6. Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Paulina Engback (UCA), 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 3, 5, 6
Auburn 4, UAB 0
Doubles
1. #9 Ovunc/Russo (AU) def. Herrmann/Hecking (UAB), 6-2
2. #59 Axon/Meredith (AU) def. Wasserbauerova/Grzywocz (UAB), 6-0
3. Ansari/Chen (AU) vs. Witthaus/Bertrands (UAB), 4-2 unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles
1. #79 Taylor Russo (AU) vs. Jana Hecking (UAB), 7-6 (2), 1-1 unfinished
2. #123 Yu Chen (AU) vs. Marlene Hermann (UAB), 6-1, 4-2 unfinished
3. Selin Ovunc (AU) def. Adela Wasserbauerova (UAB), 6-1, 6-4
4. Carolyn Ansari (AU) vs. Alexia Witthaus (UAB), 6-1, 2-5 unfinished
5. Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Megan Bertrands (UAB), 6-1, 6-2
6. Caraline Scheufler (AU) def. Dominika Hrabalova (UAB), walkover
Order of finish: 6, 5, 3
Records:
Auburn 2-0
Central Arkansas 1-3
UAB 1-1