The No. 11 Texas A&M men’s tennis team looked to win its first duel in April as it faced off against the No. 26 Auburn Tigers on Friday, April 12. This has not been the Aggies’ month, as they were handed a 5-2 loss by the Tigers at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama, making A&M 0-3 so far in April.
War Eagle was ready for takeoff right away as Auburn struck first in doubles play. The Tigers’ team of sophomore Billy Blaydes and redshirt freshman Nicholas Heng defeated the Aggies’ French duo of senior Raphael Perot and freshman Tiago Pires, 6-1.
Then, earning the coveted doubles point for Auburn with a big upset, the No. 23 duo of fifth-year seniors Raul Dobai and Finn Murgett took down A&M’s No. 15 team of the Italian junior Giulio Perego and Turkish sophomore Togan Tokac, 7-6.
The Maroon and White shifted gears as singles play began, winning the first two matches. The first victorious Fightin’ Farmer on the scoreboard was Tokac, who beat sophomore Alejandro Moreno in two lopsided sets, 6-1, 6-3.
Junior Luke Casper was next to put his name in the win column, as he defeated Heng in two sets, 7-6, 6-2.
Things seemed peachy for the Maroon and White, but those peaches soured fast as Auburn went on to win all four remaining singles matches to take the duel.
Dobai kickstarted things for the Tigers as he got the win over Pires in three back and fourth sets, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4. Then, Blaydes defeated Perego in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. This put the score at 3-2 in favor of the home team.
Now trailing 3-2, the Aggies looked to their two highest-ranked singles competitors to come up big for them. However, both were blinded by the bright lights and failed to clutch up in the Tigers’ den.
Earning the win for Auburn, No. 98 Murgett got the upset over A&M’s No. 37 junior JC Roddick in three sets, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6. The final match also went the way of the Tigers as their No. 41 Tyler Stice defeated the Aggies’ No. 22 Perot, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The Aggies now find themselves in the midst of a three-match losing streak. A&M will next face off against the No. 22 Alabama Crimson Tide at the Alabama Tennis Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The match is scheduled for Sunday, April 14 with first serve set for 1 p.m.
