In a battle of nationally ranked teams, No. 39 Auburn continued its dominance in doubles but No. 4 Tennessee held the advantage in singles to post a 4-3 SEC men’s tennis win Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Tigers started with strong doubles play once again. Jan Galka and Tyler Stice quickly finished with a 6-1 victory over Giles Hussey and Mark Wallner, and the remaining two matches went into tiebreakers. Tennessee won 7-6 on court two before Auburn’s top tandem of Tad Maclean and Finn Murgett edged ahead in their back-and-forth tiebreaker to go up 7-5 and win their match 7-6 over Adam Walton and Pat Harper, clinching the doubles point for the Tigers.
In singles, Tyler Stice on court one and Maxwell Giddens on court six forced third sets, but the favored Volunteers won in straight sets on courts two through five to capture the team victory. Stice and Giddens continued the battle, with the sophomore from Atlanta, Ga., toppling No. 24-ranked Adam Walton by a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 score, and then Giddens took his third set to a tiebreaker for the second straight match, with the freshman from Sylacauga, Ala., prevailing again by a 7-4 tiebreak score to close the match score at 4-3.
On Sunday, Auburn (6-8 overall, 2-4 SEC) hosts No. 20 Georgia (6-4, 1-4 SEC) in a noon match. All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (1717 Richland Road, Auburn). Fans wearing face coverings are welcome to attend all matches played outdoors; fans may want to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating to remain socially distanced. If weather moves the match indoors, only participants and officials will be admitted.
Tennessee 4, Auburn 3
Singles
Tyler Stice (AU) def. #24 Adam Walton (UT) 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4
Johannus Monday (UT) def. Tim Dollman (AU) 6-0, 6-2
Martim Prata (UT) def. Tad Maclean (AU) 6-3, 6-3
Luca Wiedenmann (UT) def. Jan Galka (AU) 6-4, 6-2
Giles Hussey (UT) def. Finn Murgett (AU) 7-5, 6-3
Maxwell Giddens (AU) v Joel Gamerov (UT) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
Doubles
Tad Maclean/Finn Murgett (AU) def. Adam Walton/Pat Harper (UT) 7-6 (7-5)
Johannus Monday/Martim Prata (UT) def. Tom Wright/Maxwell Giddens (AU) 7-6 (7-0)
Jan Galka/Tyler Stice (AU) def. Giles Hussey/Mark Wallner (UT) 6-1
Time of match: 3:21; Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2,1; Singles: 2,3,4,5,1,6; Official: Donna Jerome