Auburn women’s tennis team defeated Bryant University 4-0 in the opening round of the NCAA Championship on May 1 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. The Tigers, ranked number one, advanced to the round of 32 and will face Miami next.
The match was briefly delayed due to rain, forcing play indoors after Auburn secured the doubles point. The Tigers then won three singles matches in straight sets to clinch victory.
Head coach Jordan Szabo said after the win, “I thought it was a good performance. We came out ready to go in the doubles and were very dominant. I thought Bryant played well. They played a good match, and they challenged us, and we had to play at the intensity required to win. That’s really what I was looking for after multiple days without playing a match, trying to make sure that we get to the intensity required to win a national championship from the first match. If I compare it to last year’s first-round match, I think it was much improved. The last five or 10 minutes of the match, everybody was playing at their highest level.”
Szabo also noted adjustments made during lineup selection: “We were able to sit Katya (Khairutdinova) so we could get some more people to play, which I thought was really important. It’s tricky to start outdoors and then go indoors with the delay, but I think we handled it like champions… Very pleased and proud of the girls. We’ll get ready for a tough Miami team and try to play our best match of the year.”
Auburn’s Ashton Bowers achieved her program-record 60th combined singles and doubles victory this season with two wins on Friday. Ava Esposito dominated her singles opponent with a double bagel scoreline as well.
The Tigers improved their overall record this season to 33-3 and remain undefeated at home with a perfect mark at Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Attendance for Saturday’s round of 32 is free; additional information is available online.
