This past weekend, both Auburn’s men’s and women’s tennis teams came away with victories.
The men’s team defeated the Clemson Tigers 5-2 on the road, meanwhile the No. 4 ranked women’s team faced the No. 9 ranked NC State wolfpack at the Combe Tennis Center in Evanston, IL for the ITA National Team Indoor.
They came away with a 4-1 victory, and will continue to the semifinals round for the first time in program history and play the No.1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.
“This was a great team win,” Auburn men’s tennis head coach Bobby Reynolds proclaimed. “To go on the road and play a highly ranked Clemson team that’s headed to ITA Indoors next week and come away with a win is a testament to our guys. They came in and fought, and they put themselves in a great position by winning the doubles point and six first sets. Momentum shifted a little and Clemson started to believe, but our guys held on... It’s a credit to the hard work they’ve put in. This team is talented, and I’m excited to have some time off before SEC play begins. We’ll go home, rest and get back to training outdoors.”
Billy and Freddy Blaydes started out strong in the No. 2 doubles position, beating Clemson's Viktor Markov and Henrik Bladelius 6-2. Auburn’s Nicolas Heng and Clemson’s Matisse Farman exchanged blows, but Heng eventually came away with a 6-4 win.
This win brings Auburn’s men’s team to 7-1 on the season and 6-4 all-time against Clemson. This match marked the end of non-conference play, and Auburn will open conference play against the Florida Gators at home on February 21 at 12 p.m. CST.
“A really big win against a really good team,” Auburn women’s tennis head coach Jordan Szabo said. “I think Simon Earnshaw is the best coach in the country. He’s my role model and the type of coach I want to be like. He had his team ready to go. We had a huge doubles point win, and Ashton’s serving was really clutch down the stretch... This is definitely the biggest win since I’ve been at Auburn. This is where we want to be every year, and we’re excited to get a little rest. We’ll try to get Merna and some of the other girls back to 100 percent, but every team is feeling it at this point in the tournament. We’ll enjoy it tonight and get ready for a tough match with Georgia on Monday.”
Auburn is currently 13-0, and has wins against three ranked opponents, being No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Michigan, and now No. 9 NC State.
NC State started strong with a 6-0 victory in the top court of doubles, but Auburn’s Angella Okutoyi and Ava Esposito responded in the No. 2 position and closed out a 6-4 victory there.
Auburn’s women’s tennis team will play in the semifinals against the No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs Monday, February 9 at 3:30 PM CST. The winner of the match will go on to play the winner of the match between Ohio State and Texas A&M.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Braden is a freshman majoring in Aviation Management. He started with the Plainsman in fall 2025.
