Auburn University’s women’s tennis team will be represented by sophomore Ashton Bowers and junior Ava Esposito at the 2025-26 NCAA Singles Championship, which starts Tuesday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. The event features a 64-player single-elimination draw that runs through Sunday.
Bowers qualified for the tournament as a singles co-champion at the ITA Southern Regional Championships in October. She currently holds a 10-2 singles record this fall and is on a five-match winning streak. Ranked No. 48 nationally, Bowers is set to face Reece Carter from Washington on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. CT.
Esposito secured her spot by advancing through the ITA South Sectional Championships earlier this month. With an 8-2 singles record this season, Esposito has achieved wins over two ranked opponents: No. 19 Catherine Aulia of Tennessee and No. 54 Alejandra Cruz of Georgia Tech. Her opening match will be against USC’s Krisha Mahendran at 11 a.m. CT on Tuesday.
Tournament play consists of one round per day, with the championship match scheduled for Sunday. Players who advance to the round of 16 will receive ITA Singles All-American honors.
Reflecting on last year’s performance, DJ Bennett reached the national final—matching Auburn’s deepest run in program history—and both Bennett and Merna Refaat earned All-America status after making it to the round of 16.
Matches from the championship will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live scoring available throughout at NCAA.com.
