The Auburn University men’s tennis team fell to Alabama Sunday by a score of 4-3. With the team’s win, Alabama improved their overall record to 10-14 and earned their second SEC win. Auburn drops to 17-8 overall and 5-5 in conference play.
Next, Auburn will travel to face No. 45 LSU Friday night at 5 p.m. CT. Auburn will host the 2023 SEC Men’s Tennis Championship Tournament April 19-23 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Ticket books for all tournaments are now on sale at aubtix.com.
Day tickets can be purchased on site.
The Tigers got off to a flying start during the double point. Tyler Stice and Alejandro Moreno shut out Joao Ferreira and Matias Ponce De Leon court three 6-0 for their 10th doubles match win together.
Auburn’s top-ranked doubles team of Raul Dobai and Finn Murgett, ranked 30 in the nation, defeated No. 78 Filip Planinsek and German Samofalov 6-4 to claim the doubles point for the Tigers. Auburn and Alabama split the first set in singles, as Auburn took a set lead on courts one, four, and six.
Alabama’s Ponce De Leon tied the game by defeating Finn Murgett 6-3, 6-1. Stice, the 59th-ranked singles finisher according to the ITA, then retook the team lead finishing an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Planinsek. The win marked Stice’s fourth doubles singles win over a ranked opponent this season.
The Crimson Tide then tied the match again with a straight set victory on court two before senior Jan Galka earned his eighth doubles singles win of the year on court four over Germany’s Samofalov by a score of 6-4, 6-2.
Galka’s win gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead. Dobai and Billy Blaydes both lost in close three-set matches, which resulted in a 4-3 Alabama win.
Doubles Results:
1. #30 Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett (AUB) def. #78 Filip Planinsek/German Samofalov (UA) 6-4 2.
Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) vs. Jan Galka/Billy Blaydes (AUB) 5-5, unfinished 3. Tyler Stice/Alejandro Moreno (AUB) def. Joao Ferreira/Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) 6-0
Singles Results:
1. #59 Tyler Stice (AUB) def. #76 Filip Planinsek (UA) 6-4, 6-4 2.
#116 Enzo Aguiard (UA) def. #109 Alejandro Moreno (AUB) 6-3, 6-4 3. Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) def. Finn Murgett (AUB) 6-3, 6-1 4. Jan Galka (AUB) def. German Samofalov (UA) 6-4, 6-2 5. Roan Jones (UA) def. Raul Dobai (AUB) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 6. Zach Foster (UA) def. Billy Blaydes (AUB) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
