Auburn Men's Tennis came close to a win Sunday against No. 11 Georgia Bulldogs, but lost 4-0. "We had better chances in doubles, but lost tiebreakers along the way," said head coach Eric Shore. "We came back and battled in second sets, and we're learning." With matches against top 25-ranked SEC schools this past week and the upcoming away match against No. 7 Florida Friday, the Tigers must focus and improve match-playing skills in a short amount of time, Shore said.
"We lost six first sets, but the difference between Friday and today was that we were a lot more resilient," Shore said. The only singles match winner for the Tigers, sophomore Alex Stamchev, defeated UGA senior Jamie Hunt, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. "I'm satisfied with winning singles, but that's not enough," Stamchev said. "We should have won doubles."
Stamchev and senior Tim Puetz played a close doubles match ending in a 9-8 (9-7) tiebreaker. "I just think we did better today than against Tennessee," Stamchev said. "We had better energy and came closer to winning." This season, the Tigers have a young team, with seven freshmen and two sophomores.
"Some guys are still learning, and certain elements are breaking down at certain times in games," Shore said. "We need to learn how to recognize and deal with those problems." Freshman Tim Hewitt suggests getting plenty of sleep, eating well and staying in shape to prepare physically for each match. "But, nothing can really prepare you for a tennis match, other than a tennis match," Hewitt said. "The maturity it takes (to win) is something you only learn on a match court."
Hewitt suffered losses against the Bulldogs, but will be working to improve in future tournaments. "I'm obviously disappointed," Hewitt said. "I wasn't planning on losing. It was tough, but today's matches helped me grow up a lot."
Maturity and on-court practice is what the Tigers are working to achieve right now, Shore said. "We've got to get better in doubles, and we're still lacking some basic skills," Shore said. "Today when we lost 4-0, three of our guys battled in singles, but two of them lost. Those guys just need more experience."
Since Friday's match against Tennessee, the Tigers have somewhat closed the gap in scoring. "I just think we did better than against Tennessee," Stamchev said. "We had better energy and came closer to winning. We battled more, even in singles." Hewitt will not allow Sunday's loss to interfere with future matches. "I hope to win (Friday)," Hewitt said. "I'm playing No. 3 doubles, and I hope to win that match and get the reward for our hard work. I want to help the team and maintain personal pride, as well."
The Tigers continue trying to reach their full potential on the court and will have another chance to prove themselves tomorrow.
"We've got a long way to go, but we're playing the hardest part of our schedule right now, and if we survive this, the guys will have gotten better," Shore said. "Just how quickly we get better will make the difference because the toughest part of the season is right now."
The Tigers will begin match play against the Gators at 2 p.m. Friday in Gainesville, Fla.
"We've been on the road a good bit this year, so I think we'll handle (Florida) well," Shore said. "We just want to try to improve as we work toward the end of the week."
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