The Auburn men's and women's tennis teams kicked off their spring season at the Yarbrough Tennis Center this weekend, taking two wins over the Citadel and sweeping UAB, respectively.
The men dominated the first set in all of their singles matches. Conner Huertas del Pino was the first to taste victory, defeating Matthew Henson 6-1, 6-1. Redshirt Freshman Olle Thestrup followed with his first singles match victory at Auburn, topping Michael Anzalone 6-2, 6-3.
"With our freshmen Olle and Brandon, their nerves were apparent, but it was a good first step for them today," said men's head coach Eric Shore. "I'm pleased with our start."
Freshman Brandon Laubser snagged his first win as a Tiger, defeating Rob Hobson 7-5, 6-2 to clinch the match. He went on to finish the day with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Matthew Henson.
"I started off slow today and made too many unforced errors," Laubser said. "In the second set, I played better. I really enjoyed representing the Tigers today."
Marko Krikovic, Joseph Van Dooren, Huertas del Pino, Thestrup, Lauber and Max Hinnisdaels all went home victors by finishing strong against the Bulldogs in doubles, sweeping the morning and evening matches.
"Overall, I thought we played very well to get these wins against The Citadel," Men's head coach Eric Shore said. "It went well, but we need to be more focused in shot selection."
Three newcomers lead the women to their first victory of the 2016 dual match season with a 7-0 victory over UAB.
“This was our first match of the season, so I know that a lot of the girls were a little nervous,” said women’s tennis coach Lauren Spencer. “We played a little tight in the very beginning, but we pulled through once we calmed down a little bit."
Victories from the dynamic duos of Pluen Burgmans and Paula de Man (6-3), Reka Muller and Alizee Michaud (6-0) gave Auburn the 1-0 lead over the Blazers.
Singles helped extend the lead, with Caroline Turner (6-1) picking up an extra point, and Andie Dikosavljevic (6-4, 6-1) followed. Alize Michaud finished her first day for the Tigers with a comeback 7-5, 6-3 win.
Alannah Griffin and de Man won in straight sets to set the Auburn lead at 6-0.
Burgmans gave the Tigers their lucky No. 7 after winning in a tie-breaker 7-6, 6-2.
"UAB is a much improved team and this was a good test for us before the ITA Kickoff," said Spencer. "We have a really young team and for us to be able to come out with a solid 7-0 win was really good for us.”
The men and women will kick off ITA action away from home next weekend when the men travel to face Wake Forest on their home court and the women face Michigan State in Miami.
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