AUBURN, AL. – This evening, No. 7 LSU fell to No. 23 Auburn with a score of 5-2 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
LSU moves to 20-5, going 6-4 in SEC play, while Auburn advances to 15-5 with a 5-4 conference mark.
“It wasn’t our best day,” said head coach Danny Bryan. “I’m confident in our players and know they will be ready to bounce back on Sunday.”
Sasa Markovic and Andrej Loncarevic opened on the top court, facing No. 63-ranked brothers, Billy and Freddy Blaydes. Both teams settled into the match by holding their opening service games before the English siblings took a 2-1 edge. There, the Auburn pair struck first, breaking the LSU Tigers and taking consecutive games to take a commanding 4-1 lead. Markovic and Loncarevic were able to regain their footing at 4-2. However, the Blaydes brothers maintained momentum and continued to surge with steady serves for the remainder of the match before pitching a final break to close the set, 6-2.
At the third spot, first-time partners Rudy Ceccon and Olaf Pieczkowski took on Jake Kennedy and Hamza Nasridinov. The Auburn duo took complete control from the jump, capturing a break in the opening game and backing it up with a strong hold to create a 2-0 advantage. They continued to pitch a shutout in the following games, completing a four-game run to build to their 4-0 lead. Ceccon and Pieczkowski managed to get on the board at 4-1, looking to gain some rhythm and close the gap. However, Kennedy and Nasridinov remained strong, never faltering on their serves and riding that energy to the finish line. The match concluded with Auburn winning 6-2, securing the doubles point, and LSU falling to a 1-0 deficit.
Markovic entered court five, where he shared the court with Alan Bojarski. The set opened with both players logging their first service games at 1-1 before anyone made a move. Here, Bojarski took the early edge, earning his lead break and backing it up with a pair of holds to push the margin to three games at 4-1. Markovic was able to get another game by, but it was not enough to cause Bojarski to stumble as he cruised to the end of the set, 6-2. In set No. 2, it was all Bojarski. He applied heavy pressure from the start, notching two breaks in the first four games to take a demanding 4-0 lead. Unfortunately for Markovic, he was unable to find his flow, and the Auburn Tiger wrapped the second set, 6-0. LSU trailed, 2-0.
At the sixth spot, Matias Ponce de Leon matched up with Manel Lazaro. The Spaniard got off to a quick start, showing command on both sides of the court to take a 2-0 lead. Lazaro fired back, however, logging his first and only game of the set with a break, with hopes to halt Ponce de Leon’s momentum. He stayed strong, though, taking the edge once again in the next game at 3-1. From there, he carried his run to complete the four-game stretch and take the opening set with a dominant 6-1 scoreline. The second set began more closely as each player displayed consistency in their service games. Upon reaching a 2-2 game count, Ponce de Leon rediscovered his formidable defense that worked so well in the opener to capture his first break of the second set at 3-2. After extending the margin to 4-2, he imposed himself in the final two games to wrap up his four-game stretch at 6-2. LSU was on the board, down 2-1 to Auburn.
No. 24 Erik Arutiunian took on No. 76 B. Blaydes on court two in a tightly contested match that stayed close through much of the first set. The start featured a steady back and forth, with neither player able to create separation as they moved through their service games with ease. Deep into the set at 4-4, B. Blaydes found the breakthrough he needed, earning a late break which set him up to confidently serve out the set, 6-4. Arutiunian gathered himself and returned to form when opening the next set, as the second frame followed a similar pattern early. Things remained even through the middle stages, but once again, B. Blaydes was able to make the decisive move late. Securing only the second break of the match, it was all he needed to move ahead 5-3 before closing out the match, 6-3. LSU 1, Auburn 3.
Loncarevic delivered a strong performance against Nick Heng on court three from start to finish. After a gritty opening hold, he found his rhythm as the two traded games through a tense stretch, neither side able to forge ahead as they approached 3-3. With the set hanging in the balance at 5-4, Loncarevic stepped up in the critical moment to earn a clutch break, excitingly taking the opener, 6-4. He carried that energy into the second set and asserted himself early with a break at 3-1. The two-game cushion proved enough for Loncarevic as he kept rolling until 4-2. Here, the French native put the nail in the coffin with the final break that gave him a 5-2 advantage, before wrapping up the set, 6-2. LSU added another point to its tally, but still trailed Auburn 3-2. Loncarevic moves his win streak to three, marking a 13-5 season record and going 6-3 in the SEC.
The top court featured No. 29 Pieczkowski and No. 40 Nasridinov in a ranked battle that proved challenging from the outset. After dropping his opening service game, Pieczkowski responded immediately to level the opening set at 1-1. Just when the set appeared to be finding its groove, Nasridinov regained control and widened the gap through the middle stages at 3-1. From that point on, the Auburn Tiger captured three of the next four games to take the first set, 6-2. The second set followed a similar pattern as Nasridinov kept his foot on the gas to earn another early break at 1-0. Pieczkowski played the remainder of the set from behind before surrendering another service game at 4-1. Nasridinov dictated play across the finish line, sealing the match at 6-2 in the second set. LSU officially lost the match against Auburn, 4-2.
The final match played out at the fourth spot, showcasing Alessio Vasquez versus F. Blaydes in the hardest-fought match of the day. F. Blaydes got off to a fiery start, surging ahead 2-0 with a break in his first game. Nonetheless, Vasquez replied with consecutive games of his own to level it at 2-2. Each traded games through the middle stages until Vasquez dropped serve at 5-3. With momentum back on F. Blaydes’s side, he closed the set, 6-3. The second set proved to be more competitive as Vasquez rediscovered his mojo. Nothing separated the two for the entire set – despite a scare in the middle where each traded a break – and a tiebreak was forced at 6-6. Vasquez elevated his level down the stretch, stringing together key points late to take it, 7-6 (6), and force a decider. In the third set super tiebreak, Vasquez stormed to a 3-0 lead, but F. Blaydes responded with five points in a row to move ahead 5-3. Vasquez showed resilience and was able to even the score at 5-5, but ultimately, F. Blaydes had the advantage down the stretch and outlasted his opponent to seal the match with a 10-8 third set. The final score was LSU 2, Auburn 5.
Up Next
LSU will look to get back on track against No. 17 Vanderbilt on Sunday, March 29, at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center.
LSU vs Auburn
3/27/2026 at Auburn, AL
Yarbrough Tennis Center
#23 Auburn 5, #7 LSU 2
Singles competition
1. #40 Hamza Nasridinov (AUB) def. #29 Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 6-2, 6-2
2. #76 Billy Blaydes (AUB) def. #24 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) def. Nicholas Heng (AUB) 6-4, 6-2
4. Freddy Blaydes (AUB) def. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 1-0 (10-8)
5. Alan Bojarski (AUB) def. Sasa Markovic (LSU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) def. Manel Lazaro (AUB) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #63 Billy Blaydes/Freddy Blaydes (AUB) def. Sasa Markovic/Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) 6-2
2. Nicholas Heng/Alan Bojarski (AUB) vs. #42 Matias Ponce De Leon/Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 4-5, unfinished
3. Hamza Nasridinov/Jake Kennedy (AUB) def. Rudy Ceccon/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 6-2
Match Notes:
LSU 20-5 (6-4); National ranking #7
Auburn 15-5 (5-4 SEC); National ranking #23
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,6,2,3,1,4)
Match played outdoors
Official: Donna Jerome T-2:36 A-217