AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn men’s tennis showcased its determination at the ITA Southern Regional Championships, held at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. The Tigers recorded 10 singles victories and four doubles wins throughout the tournament, with Manel Lazaro delivering the team’s strongest individual performance by reaching the singles semifinals.
Lazaro advanced through four consecutive singles matches before his tournament run ended Monday against Ole Miss’ Niccolo Baroni. His performance included three-set victories over Louisiana's Samuel Kyjaci, Ole Miss’ Moritz Kudernatsch and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Conor Flynn.
In the semi-final match, Lazaro took the opening set 6-4 against Baroni. However, Baroni responded by winning the next two sets, 6-3 and 6-0, securing his place in the NCAA Singles Championships. Despite the loss, Lazaro's semifinal appearance marked a notable result for Auburn in its fall season.
Lazaro was not the only player to contribute in singles competition. Auburn opened the main draw Friday with five first-round victories. Tyler Bowers defeated Noah Koffi of Alabama A&M 7-5, 6-2, while Joey Phillips earned a 6-1, 6-3 win against Samford’s Àlex Sala Pagès. Freddy Blaydes also advanced with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Louisiana’s David Simeonov. Patrik Munkhammar completed the group’s first-round wins by defeating Alabama’s Aleksander Blus in three sets.
Blaydes and Munkhammar advanced to the round of 16 with additional wins. Blaydes defeated Alabama’s Antonio Voljavec 6-2, 6-3 while Munkhammar recovered from an opening-set loss to beat UAB’s Ondrej Valek 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Both players were eliminated Saturday. Alvaro Jimenez also recorded a victory in the consolation draw, defeating UAB’s Axel Frechet 6-1, 6-3.
Auburn found additional success in doubles, sending two teams to the quarterfinals. Jake Kennedy and Phillips secured consecutive victories Saturday, defeating South Alabama’s Deren Yigin and Jules Caby 8-6 before earning an 8-3 win over Louisiana’s William Ribero and Jade William. Blaydes and Bowers also advanced after beating South Alabama’s Harlod van Raemdonck and Victor Frumholz 8-5 and Ole Miss’ Vlado Jankanj and Mason Landreth 8-6.
Both doubles teams were eliminated in Sunday’s quarterfinals. Kennedy and Phillips lost 8-6 to North Alabama’s Ethan Dasset and Alberto Altur, while Blaydes and Bowers fell 8-5 to Alabama’s Blus and Theo Hegarty.
Auburn’s fall campaign continues with individual competition, as the team works to build its experience at the regional championships. Lazaro’s semifinal appearance and the two doubles teams’ quarterfinal finishes give the Tigers several positive results to carry forward as they prepare for the upcoming spring season.
