Alabama
Auburn
Men's Tennis Falls 4-0 at Auburn
4/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 16, 2011
AUBURN, Ala. - The 51st-ranked men's tennis team (10-11, 2-9 SEC) dropped a 4-0 decision to No. 18 Auburn (14-8, 6-5 SEC) on Saturday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in the final regular season match of the season. The Tigers got the early lead after securing the doubles point and won three straight singles contests for the team victory.
"The effort was there, but the execution was not today," Alabama head coach Billy Pate said. "As we have the last few weeks, we have found ways to not convert when opportunities are there. We just are not playing very confident tennis at the moment. It is frustrating for everyone, the team and coaching staff alike."
Auburn got its first doubles win with an 8-3 victory on court two as the 71st-ranked pair of junior Alex Stamchev and sophomore Andreas Mies topped Alabama juniors Vikram Reddy and Michael Thompson. On court one, the Tigers got another 8-3 win, this time from 24th-ranked senior Tim Puetz and freshman Daniel Cochrane over junior Ricky Doverspike and sophomore Jarryd Botha to earn the doubles point for Auburn. The match on court three went unfinished once the point was decided.
The Tigers posted their first singles win of the match on court two where Stamchev earned a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Botha. Following that, Auburn's Mies collected a 6-3, 6-1 decision over sophomore Ian Chadwell, bringing the overall score to 3-0. Shortly after, the match would end as senior Tim Hewitt edged out freshman Daniil Proskura 7-6(6), 6-3 on court three for the Tiger win. The remaining three singles matches were halted at that point.
Next up, Alabama will head to Gainesville, Fla. for the 2011 Southeastern Conference Men's Tennis Championship that begins on Thursday, April 21. The Tide will take on LSU in the first round beginning at 11 a.m. CT.
"The SEC Tournament presents another opportunity for us to turn things around," Pate added. "We are going to get back to work this week and get ready for LSU on Thursday in Gainesville."
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 24 Puetz/Cochrane (AU) def. Doverspike/Botha (UA) 8-3
2. No. 71 Mies/Stamchev (AU) def. Reddy/Thompson (UA) 8-3
3. Lopasso/Rondino (AU) vs. Proskura/Walston (UA) 7-5, unf.
Order of finish: 2,1
Singles
1. No. 17 Tim Puetz (AU) vs. Ricky Doverspike (UA) 7-5, 5-4, unf.
2. Alex Stamchev (AU) def. Jarryd Botha (UA) 6-4, 6-4
3. Tim Hewitt (AU) def. Daniil Proskura (UA) 7-6(6), 6-3
4. Vikram Reddy (UA) vs. Dan Cochrane (AU) 4-6, 6-4, unf.
5. Andreas Mies (AU) def. Ian Chadwell (UA) 6-3, 6-1
6. Rafael Rondino (AU) vs. Michael Thompson (UA) 7-6(3), 4-2, unf.
Order of finish: 2,5,3*
Players Mentioned
