Auburn University men’s tennis team fell in a close match against Cornell in the first round of the NCAA Championships hosted by Duke University on Saturday. The 4-3 loss of Auburn ends the 2023 season with a 17-12 overall record.
With the win, Cornell improved their overall season record to 18-6 and advanced to the NCAA Second Round on Sunday. The Tigers finish the season with their 39th NCAA postseason bid in program history (second under head coach Bobby Reynolds) and four wins over top 25 opponents.
The top Auburn doubles team of Raul Dobai and Finn Murgett started doubles strong by defeating Adit Sinha and Nathan Mao 6-1, but the Big Red won both of their other doubles matches to claim the doubles point. In singles, Dobai, Billy Blaydes and Auburn’s Alejandro Moreno each received quick first set wins to build momentum in the match.
Blaydes dominated in his match with Aman Sharma, winning 6-0, 6-2 to level the match at 1-1. Murgett, Tyler Stice and Jan Galka each came from behind to tie their respective first sets 5-5. Murgett and Galka each fell in their sets 7-5, while Stice lost his first set in a tiebreak.
Moreno took a straight set victory over Adit Sinha 6-2, 6-2 and moments later Raul Dobai won the match from him over Samuel Paquette with a score of 6-4, 7-5. This gave Auburn a 3-1 team lead in the game. Both Stice and Murgett, the only games remaining, forced a third set with the Tigers having to claim one of two singles games to advance to the NCAA Second Round.
Stice eventually fell in his match to 88th ranked Radu Papoe 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4 and Cornell’s Petar Teodorovic grabbed the match win over Murgett by a score of 7-5 , 4-6, 6-4.
Singles results:
1. #88 Radu Papoe (COR) def. #51 Tyler Stice (AUB) 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 6-4 2.
#125 Alejandro Moreno (AUB) def. Adit Sinha (COR) 6-2, 6-2 3. Petar Teodorovic (COR) def. #119 Finn Murgett (AUB) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 4. Nathan Mao (COR) def. Jan Galka (AUB) 7-5, 6-3 5. Raul Dobai (AUB) def. Samuel Paquette (COR) 6-4, 7-5 6.
Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. Aman Sharma (COR) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles results:
1. #17 Raul Dobai/Finn Murgett (AUB) def. Adit Sinha/Nathan Mao (COR) 6-1 2. Petar Teodorovic/Samuel Paquette (COR) def. Jan Galka/Billy Blaydes (AUB) 6-1 3.
Radu Papoe/Aman Sharma (COR) def. Tyler Stice/Alejandro Moreno (AUB) 6-4
About the Auburn University
Auburn is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest in the state.
Auburn University’s sports teams are known as the Tigers and compete in Division I-A of the NCAA and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Auburn has won 19 intercollegiate championships (including 17 NCAA championships), three of them in football (1913, 1957, 2010), 8 in men’s swimming and diving (1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 ), 5 in women’s swimming and diving (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), 2 in equestrian (2008, 2011), and one in women’s track and field (2006).
Auburn has also won a total of 70 Southeastern Conference titles, 51 men’s and 19 women’s. Auburn’s colors are orange and blue, chosen by George Petrie, the head coach of the college’s football team, inspired by the colors of his alma mater, the University of Virginia.
Auburn was founded on February 7, 1856 during the presidency of Franklin Pierce, as East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1872 the college became the first public university to benefit from the Morrill Act and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama.
