Saturday, March 22
Auburn, AL
1 PM
University of Tennessee
4
at
3
Auburn
#19 Vols Tame Tigers, 4-3
March 22, 2025 | Men's Tennis
AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 19 Tennessee men's tennis team battled to win a tough road contest against Auburn, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Tennessee (15-5, 6-3 SEC) continued right where it left off, winning the doubles point for the second straight match. Victories were provided by Shunsuke Mitsui and Alan Jesudason, securing a 6-3 result, and James Newton and Jose Garcia, winning their second match in a row with a 6-2 showing.
No. 13 Alex Kotzen and Alejandro Moreno were in the midst of a top-15 bout with Auburn's (14-7, 5-5 SEC) No. 10 Billy Blaydes and William Nolan, with the match squared even at 4-4 before doubles play concluded.
Singles play saw back-and-forth action, as neither squad was able to increase their lead by more than one point throughout the entirety of the match. The Tigers struck first, posting a pair of wins to take an early lead. Moreno, a former player for Auburn, then proceeded to notch the match even at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-4 display against Joey Phillips.
Moments after Moreno's singles victory, No. 35 Kotzen fired off another triumph, earning a ranked win over No. 60 Alex Frusina, 6-3, 7-6(2) to put the Vols up 3-2.
The two deciding three-set matches in singles were played by Jesudason and No. 24 Mitsui. Auburn secured a win over Jesudason on court five, leaving Mitsui as the deciding showdown. After splitting the first two sets with a 7-5, 5-7 score heading into a third frame, the Shizuoka, Japan, native battled out an impressive 6-4 result to clinch the match.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will return home for an in-state match against Vanderbilt on March 29 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Barksdale Stadium.
SIX IN A ROW
Tennessee has rallied off six consecutive wins in conference play, bringing its SEC record to 6-3. UT has earned victories over Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, LSU, Alabama and Auburn during that stretch, with all coming as top-75 triumphs.
MORENO MAGIC
Alejandro Moreno, a two-year player for Auburn, provided a crucial singles victory on Saturday against his former team. The Knoxville native has won four of his last five singles matches, helping the Vols during the six-match win streak.
SHUN MOVING UP
With today's singles clinch, senior Shunsuke Mitsui now sits in sole possession of sixth in school history for career singles wins, totaling 121 for his career. This mark passes Mark Parsons (1997-2001) who earned 120 singles victories over his UT career.
For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee men's tennis on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #10 Billy Blaydes/Will Nolan (AUB) vs. #13 Alex Kotzen/Alejandro Moreno (TENN) 4-4, unfinished
2. Alan Jesudason/Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. Alex Frusina/Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-3
3. James Newton/Jose Garcia (TENN) def. Nicholas Heng/Thomas Kennedy (AUB) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
Singles
1. #24 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. Will Nolan (AUB) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
2. #35 Alex Kotzen (TENN) def. #60 Alex Frusina (AUB) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Jose Garcia (TENN) 6-2, 6-1
4. Alejandro Moreno (TENN) def. Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-4, 6-4
5. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Alan Jesudason (TENN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
6. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Ian Cruz (TENN) 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3,6,4,2,5,1
Tennessee (15-5, 6-3 SEC) continued right where it left off, winning the doubles point for the second straight match. Victories were provided by Shunsuke Mitsui and Alan Jesudason, securing a 6-3 result, and James Newton and Jose Garcia, winning their second match in a row with a 6-2 showing.
No. 13 Alex Kotzen and Alejandro Moreno were in the midst of a top-15 bout with Auburn's (14-7, 5-5 SEC) No. 10 Billy Blaydes and William Nolan, with the match squared even at 4-4 before doubles play concluded.
Singles play saw back-and-forth action, as neither squad was able to increase their lead by more than one point throughout the entirety of the match. The Tigers struck first, posting a pair of wins to take an early lead. Moreno, a former player for Auburn, then proceeded to notch the match even at 2-2 with a 6-4, 6-4 display against Joey Phillips.
Moments after Moreno's singles victory, No. 35 Kotzen fired off another triumph, earning a ranked win over No. 60 Alex Frusina, 6-3, 7-6(2) to put the Vols up 3-2.
The two deciding three-set matches in singles were played by Jesudason and No. 24 Mitsui. Auburn secured a win over Jesudason on court five, leaving Mitsui as the deciding showdown. After splitting the first two sets with a 7-5, 5-7 score heading into a third frame, the Shizuoka, Japan, native battled out an impressive 6-4 result to clinch the match.
UP NEXT
Tennessee will return home for an in-state match against Vanderbilt on March 29 at 3:30 p.m. ET at Barksdale Stadium.
SIX IN A ROW
Tennessee has rallied off six consecutive wins in conference play, bringing its SEC record to 6-3. UT has earned victories over Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, LSU, Alabama and Auburn during that stretch, with all coming as top-75 triumphs.
MORENO MAGIC
Alejandro Moreno, a two-year player for Auburn, provided a crucial singles victory on Saturday against his former team. The Knoxville native has won four of his last five singles matches, helping the Vols during the six-match win streak.
SHUN MOVING UP
With today's singles clinch, senior Shunsuke Mitsui now sits in sole possession of sixth in school history for career singles wins, totaling 121 for his career. This mark passes Mark Parsons (1997-2001) who earned 120 singles victories over his UT career.
For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee men's tennis on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #10 Billy Blaydes/Will Nolan (AUB) vs. #13 Alex Kotzen/Alejandro Moreno (TENN) 4-4, unfinished
2. Alan Jesudason/Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. Alex Frusina/Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-3
3. James Newton/Jose Garcia (TENN) def. Nicholas Heng/Thomas Kennedy (AUB) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
Singles
1. #24 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. Will Nolan (AUB) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
2. #35 Alex Kotzen (TENN) def. #60 Alex Frusina (AUB) 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)
3. Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Jose Garcia (TENN) 6-2, 6-1
4. Alejandro Moreno (TENN) def. Joey Phillips (AUB) 6-4, 6-4
5. Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. Alan Jesudason (TENN) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
6. Nicholas Heng (AUB) def. Ian Cruz (TENN) 6-3, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3,6,4,2,5,1
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1
#1 Singles Match
123
756
Will Nolan / 0 [AUB]
574
#2 Singles Match
12
67
Alex Frusina / 0 (60/-) [AUB]
36
#3 Singles Match
12
21
Billy Blaydes / 0 [AUB]
66
#4 Singles Match
12
66
Joey Phillips / 0 [AUB]
44
#5 Singles Match
123
463
Hamza Nasridinov / 0 [AUB]
636
#6 Singles Match
12
31
Nicholas Heng / 0 [AUB]
66
Order of Finish:
3,6,4,2,5,1
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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