No. 17 Women’s Tennis Bags Third-Consecutive Top-20 Win Against Auburn

Thursday, April 1

Auburn, Ala.

3:00 PM

Texas A&M

Auburn

McBryde - A&M Player vs A&M 412021 MCS_2366 edited

Photo by: Matthew Shannon/AU Athletics

Apr 01, 2021 | Women's Tennis

Box Score

By: Nick Whitley, Texas A&M Athletics Communications

AUBURN, Ala. – With a superlative performance from Tatiana Makarova and yet another clinch victory by Renee McBryde, No. 17 Texas A&M women's tennis surpassed the No. 20 Auburn Tigers in a 4-1 affair Thursday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.

With the win in the books, the Maroon & White improve to 13-4 overall with a stellar 5-2 record against Southeastern Conference foes. The Aggies have come away with victories in each of their last three SEC dual matches. In defeat, the Tigers drop to 12-4 with a 7-3 ledger in SEC regular season action.

A&M's win on Thursday afternoon marked the squad's third-consecutive victory over an opponent featured in the Oracle ITA Women's Team Rankings, the first time the Aggies have accomplished such a feat in Mark Weaver's tenure as head coach. The team's 5-2 record in league matches is one win shy of tying A&M's best SEC regular season start under Coach Weaver's direction, a record dating back to the 2015-16 campaign.

Per usual, Thursday's ranked test began on the doubles courts, with Texas A&M coming away with the doubles point for the second time in a row. Auburn started by earning a win on court three, as Yu Chen and Anastasia Astakhova defeated the Aggie pairing of Katya Townsend and Riley McQuaid, 6-3. The Tigers advantage didn't last long though, as McBryde and Dorthea Faa-Hviding evened the competition with a 6-3 win over Carolyn Ansari and Selin Ovunc. The Aggies locked in a 1-0 lead after the No. 43-ranked pairing of Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith booked a 6-4 victory against Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach.

In the singles competition, the Aggies were quick to extend their lead to 2-0 after No. 22 Makarova breezed by No. 62 Ovunc in a 6-2, 6-2 triumph on court one. Auburn took a bite out of the Aggie lead on court three, as Ansari recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win against Townsend. However, Goldsmith re-asserted A&M's advantage on court two with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 come-from-behind victory against No. 100 Chen to place the Aggies on the precipice of their third-straight SEC win. Looking for the clinch, the Aggies once again called on the Wollongong, Australia, native McBryde to lock in the final point. The junior battled back after a first-set loss to defeat Flach 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. McQuaid and Faa-Hviding were each locked in third sets, but their matches remained unfinished.

The Moscow, Russia, native Makarova continues to build on an already-impressive 2021 season resume, as the senior has recorded 10-straight singles wins and boasts four individual ranked victories in that span. She is now tied with Faa-Hviding for the team's longest active win streak and manages the team's best singles record at 20-5. Meanwhile, McBryde is riding a six-match streak of her own and has logged the clinch victory in all five of A&M's SEC team wins this season. She also remains undefeated at the No. 5 line, improving to 5-0 in that position this year.

UP NEXT
Texas A&M women's tennis continues its weekend road trip through the state of Alabama, as the Aggies travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide, with first serve slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday at the University of Alabama Tennis Stadium.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On the team's mental toughness…
"We're just doing a phenomenal job of recovering between points. No matter what happens, we always are able to mentally reset and get right back into the next one ready to go. That's important across any competition, especially a team sport like tennis. There's just a great energy and great attitudes coming from the group, and everyone is really encouraging each other. Each of the girls out there playing have so much confidence and faith in each other. We're a very tough team to beat right now, because we're fighting for every point and bringing it in every single match."

Senior Renee McBryde
On recording her fifth-straight clinch victory…
"I can't really credit the clinch wins to anything, that's just a crazy coincidence. It's happened five times now in SEC play and it feels amazing. I'm just so proud of this team. We've all done exceptionally well to put ourselves in this position, and it feels even better being able to beat another ranked opponent at their home court. It makes the victory even sweeter. Everyone had to fight hard, and I guess I was just the one today who got to seal the deal."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
No. 17 Texas A&M 4, No. 20 Auburn 1
Yarbrough Tennis Center – Auburn, Ala.
Singles Competition
1. #22 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #62 Selin Ovunc (AUB) 6-2, 6-2
2. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. #100 Yu Chen (AUB) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. Carolyn Ansari (AUB) def. Katya Townsend (TAMU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) vs. Georgie Axon (AUB) 3-6, 6-4, 1-1 unfinished
5. Renee McBryde (TAMU) def. Adeline Flach (AUB) 5-7, 6-1, 6-2
6. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) vs. Anastasia Astakhova (AUB) 6-2, 5-7, 3-4 unfinished

Doubles Competition
1. #43 Tatiana Makarova / Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Georgie Axon / Adeline Flach (AUB) 6-4
2. Renee McBryde / Dorthea Faa-Hviding (TAMU) def. Carolyn Ansari / Selin Ovunc (AUB) 6-3
3. Yu Chen / Anastasia Astakhova (AUB) def. Katya Townsend / Riley McQuaid (TAMU) 6-3

Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,3,2,5)

POSTMATCH NOTES

Texas A&M improves to 13-4 overall with a 5-2 ledger in the Southeastern Conference regular season. The Aggies are presently ranked at No. 17 in the latest Oracle ITA Women's team rankings released on Wednesday.
Auburn drops to 12-4 overall and 7-3 against SEC rivals, currently ranked No. 20 nationally.
In the all-time series between the two programs, the Aggies extend their lead to 9-2.
The order of finish on Thursday was as follows: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,3,2,5)

FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN.