No. 16 Lady Vols Dominant over No. 17 Auburn

Thursday, April 8

Knoxville, Tenn.

Noon ET

University of Tennessee

Auburn

Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

April 08, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Box Score Results Photo Gallery

By: Ricky Martinez

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 16-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team easily downed No. 17-ranked Auburn, 4-1, inside the Goodfriend Tennis Center on Thursday.

The Lady Vols (13-6, 7-4 SEC) earned their fourth win over a top-25 opponent and maintained their perfect 10-0 home record for the 2021 dual-match season.

UT opened the dual taking the doubles point over the Tigers (12-6, 7-5 SEC) with wins on courts two and three.

Sophomore Carly Briggs and Esther Adehsina picked up the first doubles win with a 6-2 domination of Carolyn Ansari and Selin Ovunc. The duo picked up their third-straight SEC victory as a pair.

The junior duo of Daria Kuczer and Kylie Duckworth clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (7) win over Yu Chen and Anastasia Astakhova on court three to give UT a 1-0 advantage in the match.

In singles play, Auburn struck first with a win on court three to knot the score at 1-1.

McGiffin responded quickly with a 6-1, 6-2 dismantling of Adeline Flach for her 10th home victory. The senior is undefeated at home in dual-match play in 2021 and holds an 11-4 record this season.

Kuczer gave the Lady Vols a 3-1 advantage with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Georgie Axon on court four. The Szczecin, Poland native holds a perfect 10-0 record at home, is 9-1 in SEC play and an impressive 16-1 in dual-match play.

No. 96-ranked Rebeka Mertena provided the final margin of victory with a huge 6-4, 6-4 win on court one over No. 62-ranked Ovunc. Mertena moves to 10-4 in dual-match play this season with the win.

Up next, UT hosts Alabama on Saturday for its final home match of the season. The lone graduating senior of the team, Johanna Silva, will be recognized prior to the match.

#16 University of Tennessee 4, #17 Auburn 1
Singles competition
1. #96 Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. #62 Selin Ovunc (AU) 6-4, 6-4
2. #68 Eleonora Molinaro (UT) vs. #100 Yu Chen (AU) 4-6, 6-2, 1-1, unfinished
3. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. #45 Carly Briggs (UT) 6-3, 6-0
4. Daria Kuczer (UT) def. Georgie Axon (AU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Adeline Flach (AU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Johanna Silva (UT) vs. Anastasia Astakhova (AU) 7-5, 4-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Tenika McGiffin/Eleonora Molinaro (UT) vs. Georgie Axon/Adeline Flach (AU) 6-5, unfinished
2. Esther Adeshina/Carly Briggs (UT) def. Carolyn Ansari/Selin Ovunc (AU) 6-2
3. Daria Kuczer/Kylie Duckworth (UT) def. Yu Chen/Anastasia Astakhova (AU) 7-6 (9-7)
Match Notes:
Auburn 12-6, 7-5 SEC; National ranking #17
University of Tennessee 13-6, 7-4 SEC; National ranking #16
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,5,4,1)

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