Aggie Men’s Tennis Finishes Undefeated in Conference Play after Topping Auburn

Sunday, April 15

College Station

12 p.m.

Texas A&M

Auburn

Apr 15, 2018 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Texas A&M Media Relations

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 5 Texas A&M men's tennis team topped Auburn 4-3 Sunday afternoon to complete the SEC regular season at 12-0 and earn their first ever outright SEC Championship. The Aggies (20-4, 12-0) bested the Tigers (12-17, 1-11) at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center and finished undefeated in conference play for the first time since the 2001 season.

The Maroon & White earned the doubles point to open scoring as Juan Carlos Aguilar and Arthur Rinderknech cruised to a 6-1 win on court one over Edward Nguyen and Tad Maclean. No. 57 Jordi Arconada and Kevin Lam clinched the point with a 6-3 triumph over Diego Chavarria and Lorenzo Rodrigues on court three.

Prior to singles action the Texas A&M men's tennis program honored a trio of players and its student manager for their contribution to the program over the past four seasons. Manager Erika Kartz assisted the program for the past two seasons and intends to pursue an MBA after graduation in August. Arconada, Rinderknech and AJ Catanzariti helped the Aggies claim a pair of SEC Tournament Championships along with the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Regular Season Trophy. The 2018 senior class is the eighth in program history to tally 90 or more wins going 92-26 in Aggieland, including a program-best 42 conference victories.

No. 41 Arconada played inspired tennis after being honor prior to singles action. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native ousted Olle Thestrup 6-2, 6-2 on court three to double the A&M advantage. Arconada improved to 11-1 in the league this year and an uncanny 21-1 over the past two seasons.

Moments after Arconada staked the Aggies to a 2-0 advantage, No. 10 Rinderknech trounced No. 86 Matteo De Vincentis 6-1, 6-2 on court two. Rinderknech, a Paris, France native, improved to 10-2 against the league and 19-3 on the year. The right hander collected his 64 dual match singles win, which ties for the 16^th most in program history.

No. 6 Patrick Kypson clinched the match and sole possession of the SEC Championship for the first time in program history. Kypson, a freshman from Raleigh, N.C. picked up his 12th win this spring after defeating Nguyen 6-2, 6-3 on court one.

After the team match was decided the Tigers were able to capture the final three points of the day. Maclean bested No. 105 Aguilar followed by Carles Sarrio edging out No. 52 Valentin Vacherot on court four and Brandon Lauber tripped up Catanzariti on court six.

With the win the Aggies clinched the top seed in the SEC Tournament, April 25-29 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Texas A&M received a double bye and will await their opponent on Friday, April 27 on the Crimson Tide campus. The Maroon & White have advanced to at least the semifinals in every SEC Tournament that they have participated in since joining the league for the 2013 season and won both the 2014 and 2015 trophy.

Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.

Post Match Quotes
Steve Denton, Texas A&M Men's Tennis Head Coach
On the match…
"I knew this was not going to be a pretty match today, conditions were really tough for both teams and we were able to get those four points quick which was nice. We have to be mentally tough in conditions like this and maybe we should try to find a way to practice in winds like this more often. Knowing that Auburn was going to fight for every point we had our work cut out for us after an emotion match on Friday night against Mississippi State."

On winning SEC title outright…
"We wanted to be a little bit greedy out there today. We had to take care of business to make sure that we did not share the trophy with anyone. It is a great achievement to win the SEC and to win it outright is a great honor and shows that we put in all the hard work this year to win. Saying that, we know that the season is just beginning for us. We want to put on a good showing at the SEC Tournament and then see how we stack up against the best teams in the country in the NCAAs."

Tennis Match Results
Auburn vs Texas A&M
4/15/2018 at College Station, TX
(George P Mitchell Tennis Center)

#5 Texas A&M 4, Auburn 3

Singles competition
1. #6 Patrick Kypson (TAMU) def. Edward Nguyen (AUBURN) 6-2, 6-3
2. #10 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. #86 Matteo De Vincentis (AUBURN) 6-1, 6-2
3. #41 Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. Olle Thestrup (AUBURN) 6-2, 6-2
4. Carles Sarrio (AUBURN) def. #52 Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) 6-2, 7-5
5. Tad Maclean (AUBURN) def. #105 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4)
6. Brandon Laubser (AUBURN) def. AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) 7-6 (7-5), 7-5

Doubles competition
1. Juan Carlos Aguilar/Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. Edward Nguyen/Tad Maclean (AUBURN) 6-1
2. #89 AJ Catanzariti/Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) vs. Carles Sarrio/Matteo De Vincentis (AUBURN) 3-5, unfinished
3. #57 Jordi Arconada/Kevin Lam (TAMU) def. Diego Chavarria/Lorenzo Rodriguez (AUBURN) 6-3

Match Notes:
Auburn 12-17, 1-11
Texas A&M 20-4, 12-0; National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1, 3); Singles (3, 2, 1, 5, 4, 6)