AUBURN, Ala. – Top-ranked Auburn women’s tennis blanked Bryant 4-0 in the NCAA Championship round of 64 on Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. After claiming the doubles point, rain forced the remainder of the match indoors during the first set of singles, where the Tigers earned three straight-set victories to advance. Auburn will face Miami in the round of 32 on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT.
“I thought it was a good performance,” Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said after the win. “We came out ready to go in the doubles and were very dominant. I thought Bryant played well. They played a good match, and they challenged us, and we had to play at the intensity required to win. That’s really what I was looking for after multiple days without playing a match, trying to make sure that we get to the intensity required to win a national championship from the first match. If I compare it to last year’s first-round match, I think it was much improved. The last five or 10 minutes of the match, everybody was playing at their highest level.
“We were able to sit Katya (Khairutdinova) so we could get some more people to play, which I thought was really important. It’s tricky to start outdoors and then go indoors with the delay, but I think we handled it like champions. We could see that again in the NCAA Tournament. You never know what the weather is going to bring when you’re playing over a couple of weeks. Very pleased and proud of the girls. We’ll get ready for a tough Miami team and try to play our best match of the year.”
Auburn secured the doubles point quickly, earning 6-1 wins at the No. 3 and No. 2 positions. Auburn’s Ekaterina Khairutdinova and Ashton Bowers won four straight games to open the match before finishing 6-1 to claim their 27th doubles win together this spring. On court two, the Auburn pair of Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat won five consecutive games before winning to clinch the doubles point.
During the first set of singles, steady rain began to fall on the outdoor courts at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, causing a brief suspension of play. The match resumed indoors 45 minutes later. Auburn won the opening set in every match except the No. 1 singles position, which was still in its opening set when play concluded.
Auburn junior Ava Esposito dominated at the No. 5 singles position, defeating Mila Martinez 6-0, 6-0 to improve her record to 28-5 overall this season. Moments later, Auburn’s Ashton Bowers also recorded a double bagel in her match against Maria Jose Diaz for her 30th singles win of the season and gave the Tigers a 3-0 advantage.
With her two wins on Friday, Bowers now holds the Auburn program record for most combined singles and doubles victories in a single season with 60, surpassing Alizee Michaud, who recorded 58 during the 2016-17 season.
At the No. 6 position, Auburn freshman Eva Ionescu delivered a dominant 6-0, 6-1 win over Lisa Marie Dugec to clinch the team victory.
The win improves Auburn’s record to 33-3 overall this season and marks its seventh in a row. The Tigers are now a perfect 20-0 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center this season. Miami defeated North Florida in the round of 64 earlier in the day, punching its ticket to the regional final against Auburn.
Attendance at Saturday’s round of 32 match at the Yarbrough Tennis Center will be free. Additional fan information is available at AuburnTigers.com/MatchDay. Live video and live scoring will be available at AuburnTigers.com.
#1 Auburn 4, Bryant 0
Singles Results:
- #16 DJ Bennett (AUB) vs. Yahli Noy (BRY) 6-5, unfinished
- #55 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) vs. Natalia Vela (BRY) 6-4, 2-0, unfinished
- Merna Refaat (AUB) vs. Laura Stypula (BRY) 6-1, 4-2, unfinished
- #58 Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Maria Jose Diaz (BRY) 6-0, 6-0
- #68 Ava Esposito (AUB) def. Mila Martinez (BRY) 6-0, 6-0
- Eva Ionescu (AUB) def. Lisa Marie Dugec (BRY) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Results:
- #2 DJ Bennett/Ava Esposito (AUB) vs. Maria Jose Diaz/Natalia Vela(BRY) 5-1, unfinished
- #8 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) def. Lisa Marie Dugec/Lucia Pino (BRY) 6-1
- Ashton Bowers/E. Khairutdinova (AUB) def. Yahli Noy/Laura Stypula (BRY) 6-1
Time of match: 2:16 Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2; Singles: 5,4,6 Official: Donna Jerome