TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team picked up four wins on their opening day of the ITA Southern Regional Championships Friday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
Four Tigers advanced to the round of 32 in singles, and two more doubles teams will begin play Saturday.
"Georgie, Anastasia, Ariana, Adeline and Carolyn embraced the opportunity to improve throughout their respective matches," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Competitors always fight, regardless of the conditions or level of play, because being great in the areas within our control is the gold standard. Tomorrow I am confident all seven will be resolute in their pursuit of excellence."
Carolyn Ansari, ranked 45th and seeded third in the tournament, won in straight sets over Tanisha Kashyap of Louisiana-Lafayette, 6-1, 7-5. Georgie Axon, seeded seventh, defeated Ole Miss' Anaelle Leclercq-Fisher, 6-4, 6-3, and eighth-seeded Ariana Arseneault downed Rachel Krzyzak of the Rebels, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Adeline Flach picked up the fourth win for Auburn, defeating UAB's Vanessa Mellynchuk, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2. Anastasia Astakhova fell in a hard-fought match to Mississippi State's Marta Falceto, 6-4, 6-4; Madeline Meredith dropped a three-set match to Alexandra Mikhailuk of MSU, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, and Yu Chen fell to Ole Miss' Reka Zadori, 6-2, 6-0.
In the Tigers' lone doubles match of the day, Ansari and Astakhova fell by the slimmest of margins, dropping an 8-7 (6) decision to Wasserbauerova and White of UAB.
Play continues Saturday with the rounds of 32 and 16 in singles and doubles. Live scoring for singles will begin with the round of 16, and results will be posted throughout the day on RollTide.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
2021 ITA Southern Regional Championships
Auburn Results – Friday, Oct. 15
Singles – Round of 64
Georgie Axon def. Anaelle Leclercq-Fisher (OM), 6-4, 6-3
Marta Falceto (MSU) def. Anastasia Astakhova (AU), 6-4, 6-4
Adeline Flach def. Vanessa Mellynchuk (UAB), 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
Reka Zadori (OM) def. #116 Yu Chen (AU), 6-2, 6-0
Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Madeline Meredith (AU), 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
#45 Carolyn Ansari def. Tanisha Kashyap (ULL), 6-1, 7-5
Ariana Arseneault def. Rachel Kryzyak (OM), 6-4, 7-6 (3)
Doubles – Round of 64
Wasserbauerova/White (UAB) def. Astakhova/Ansari (AU), 8-7 (6)