FRESNO, Calif. - Auburn's 22nd-ranked men's tennis team made it a sweep of their trip to Fresno with a 6-1 win over Fresno State on Sunday at the Wathen Tennis Center.
The Tigers (7-1) finished off their month-long, five-match stretch away from home with a 4-1 record, including three wins over nationally ranked opponents. Fresno State fell to 2-7 on the year.
"It was a good weekend," Auburn head coach Eric Shore said. "We played solid today overall. In doubles, we're getting it done right now, but we're going to have to tighten it down a little bit. It's going to get tougher coming up. It's encouraging that these guys are getting it done, but there's room for improvement. I saw some good things in singles today, too. But again, it's going to get tougher, and we've got to get better. We've got a bit of a break now, so we'll get back to work."
Auburn once again won the doubles point, giving the Tigers an early 1-0 lead for the eighth time in eight matches this season. Dennis Lengsfeld and Lucas Lopasso made quick work of Sam MacNeil and Jeremy Quiroz at the No. 2 spot with an 8-2 win, and the second-ranked team of Andreas Mies and Daniel Cochrane clinched the point with an 8-4 win over Reid deLaubenfels and Nikolas Papic in the No. 1 position.
The middle of the lineup provided big results for the Tigers in singles. Lengsfeld, playing at the No. 3 slot again today, gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Papic. And Lopasso followed up quickly with another straight-set win over Quiroz, 6-0, 6-2, at the No. 4 position. Mies then clinched the victory for Auburn with a 6-2, 6-3 win over deLaubenfels at the top singles spot.
The Bulldogs got on the board as Felipe Fritz downed Auburn's Joseph Van Dooren in a match tiebreak at the No. 5 spot, 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7). But Auburn won the final two singles matches as senior Michael Wardell remained undefeated on the year with a 6-4, 6-3 win over MacNeil at No. 6, and Cochrane fought through a first-set tiebreaker to eventually claim a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Sai Kartik Nakireddi at the second singles spot.
Auburn has next week off from competition and will return to the Yarbrough Tennis Center for its next four matches, beginning with a pair of non-conference contests in two weeks. The Tigers will host Clemson on Friday, Feb. 22, and Georgia Tech on Sunday, Feb. 24.
Auburn Men's Tennis Results
February 10, 2013
Fresno, Calif. - Wathen Tennis Center
#22 Auburn 6, Fresno State 1
Singles
1. #74 Andreas Mies (AU) def. Reid deLaubenfels (FS) 6-2, 6-3
2. Daniel Cochrane (AU) def. Sai Kartik Nakireddi (FS) 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
3. Dennis Lengsfeld (AU) def. Nikolas Papic (FS) 6-0, 6-2
4. Lucas Lopasso (AU) def. Jeremy Quiroz (FS) 6-0, 6-2
5. Felipe Fritz (FS) def. Joseph Van Dooren (AU) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)
6. Michael Wardell (AU) def. Sam MacNeil (FS) 6-4, 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 5, 6, 2
Doubles
1. #2 Daniel Cochrane/Andreas Mies (AU) def. Reid deLaubenfels/Nikolas Papic (FS) 8-4
2. Dennis Lengsfeld/Lucas Lopasso (AU) def. Sam MacNeil/Jeremy Quiroz (FS) 8-2
3. Felipe Fritz/Sai Kartik Nakireddi (FS) vs. Lukas Ollert/Joseph Van Dooren (AU) 7-6, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
