Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Auburn
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
5,4,6,3,1,2
Players Mentioned
MTSU Falls Short in a Hard Fought Match vs Auburn
1/31/2025 9:56:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — With all eyes on Court 2 in a 3-3 match, Middle Tennessee (3-3) fell just short, dropping a 4-3 decision to Auburn (3-2). The Tigers' No. 95 Alexander Frusina outlasted Conference USA Freshman of the Year Jakub Kroslak 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch the match. After falling behind 5-0 in the third set, Kroslak battled back to make it 5-3 before Frusina closed it for Auburn.
In doubles action, CUSA Athlete of the Week Kacper Szymkowiak and Rostislav Halfinger improved to 2-2 on the year with a win over Nicholas Heng and Thomas Kennedy on Court 3. Auburn evened the doubles point with a victory on Court 2, setting up a decisive match between two ITA-ranked pairings on Court 1. The Tigers' No. 15 duo of William Nolan and Billy Blaydes secured a 6-4 win over Middle Tennessee's No. 45 pairing of Karim Al-Amin and Ondrej Horak, giving Auburn an early lead.
Szymkowiak continued his strong start to the season, improving to 3-0 in singles play with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Joey Phillips to tie the match at 1-1. Horak followed with a 6-1, 6-2 victory on Court 4 against Amirkhamza Nasridinov, putting Middle Tennessee ahead 2-1. Auburn responded with wins on Courts 6 and 1 to take a 3-2 lead, shifting the focus to Courts 2 and 3.
Amid a second-set tiebreak, Shu Matsuoka gutted out a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) win on Court 3, evening the match at 3-3 before Frusina clinched it for Auburn.
Friday's match marked the third six-match stretch against Power Four opponents for Middle Tennessee.
Quote from Coach Jimmy Borendame
"Doubles and details hurt us today. I accept the blame as this is bad coaching. We need to keep composure in big moments. Need to stop being victims and be resilient this week. These tough losses and wins make us tougher."
Up next: The Blue Raiders travel south for a Sunday matchup against No. 20 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
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