Alabama
Auburn University
Alabama Men’s Tennis Comes up Short at Auburn
3/11/2017 6:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Freshman Zhe Zhou earns Tide’s point in singles
AUBURN, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to Auburn on Saturday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. With the loss, the Crimson Tide moves to 6-10 on the season and 0-4 against Southeastern Conference opponents, while the win brings the Tigers to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the league.
Auburn took a 1-0 lead after picking up the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. From the No. 2 spot, junior Edward Nguyen and sophomore Brandon Laubser posted a 6-1 victory over Alabama freshmen Alexey Nesterov and Edson Ortiz. The Tiger duo of senior Dante Saleh and sophomore Olle Thestrup followed that up with a 6-2 decision over Tide freshmen Thibault Cancel and Zhe Zhou to clinch the point. The matchup on court one would go unfinished at 4-4.
Auburn's next point came with a win on court two in singles where freshman Carles Sarrio topped Cancel, 6-3, 6-2. On court six, Laubser outlasted senior Ritchie Kruunenberg, 6-0, 7-5, to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead. The team victory would be clinched on court three as senior Conner Huertas picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win over Ortiz. The match would continue on, and the next point would come on court four where Nguyen claimed the 6-4, 6-3 victory against Nesterov. Zhou got Alabama on the board next as he finished off Thestrup, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, from the No. 5 spot. The final point would go to Auburn as Hinnisdaels edged sophomore Mazen Osama, 5-7, 6-4, 10-5.
Next up, the Tide returns home for a pair of SEC matchups, beginning with Texas A&M on Friday, March 17 at 6 p.m. CT.
RESULTS
Doubles
1. No. 66 Osama/Richey (UA) vs. No. 9 Hinnisdaels/Huertas (AU) 4-4, unf.
2. Laubser/Nguyen (AU) def. Nesterov/Ortiz (UA) 6-1
3. Saleh/Thestrup (AU) def. Cancel/Zhou (UA) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3
Singles
1. No. 64 Max Hinnisdaels (AU) def. No. 41 Mazen Osama (UA) 5-7, 6-4, 10-5
2. Carles Sarrio (AU) def. No. 103 Thibault Cancel (UA) 6-3, 6-2
3. Conner Huertas (AU) def. Edson Ortiz (UA) 6-4, 6-1
4. Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Alexey Nesterov (UA) 6-4, 6-3
5. Zhe Zhou (UA) def. Olle Thestrup (AU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-1
6. Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Ritchie Kruunenberg (UA) 6-0, 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 6, 3*, 4, 5, 1
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Players Mentioned
