Bulldogs Rally to Defeat Auburn, Advance to ITA Indoor Final

Monday, February 9

Evanston, Ill.

4:30 p.m.

University of Georgia

Auburn

Bulldogs Rally to Defeat Auburn, Advance to ITA Indoor Final

February 09, 2026 | Women's Tennis

EVANSTON, Ill. — No. 1 Georgia women's tennis (4-1, 0-0 SEC) rallied after dropping the doubles point and five opening singles sets to defeat Auburn (13-1, 0-0 SEC), 4-3, and advance to its second consecutive ITA National Team Indoor Championship final.

Fast Facts

Auburn struck first in doubles as Angella Okutoyi and Ava Esposito earned a 6-1 win over Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte on court two.
Georgia answered on court one, where Deniz Dilek and Aysegul Mert defeated DJ Bennett and Stefani Webb, 6-2, to even doubles play.
Auburn secured the doubles point on court three as Ekaterina Khayrutdinova and Ashton Bowers edged Emma Dong and Anastasiia Gureva, 7-5.
No. 23 Dilek put Georgia on the board with a 7-5, 6-1 win over No. 84 Okutoyi on court three.
Dong followed with a three-set comeback against Eva Ionescu, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, to level the match at 2-2.
After Auburn regained the lead with straight-set victories on courts four and five, No. 74 Lopata kept the Bulldogs alive with a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 comeback over No. 58 DJ Bennett on court one.
No. 4 Mert then sealed the victory on court two, rallying past Khayrutdinova, 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4, to clinch the match and send Georgia to back-to-back Indoor Championship finals.

Results
Doubles:
1. Deniz Dilek/Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. DJ Bennett/Stefani Webb (AUB): 6-2
2. Angella Okutoyi/Ava Esposito def. Anastasiia Lopata/Patricija Paukstyte (UGA): 6-1
3. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova/Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. Emma Dong/Anastasiia Gureva (UGA): 7-5
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 1, 3);

Singles:
1. #74 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) def. #58 DJ Bennett (AUB): 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. #4 Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. Ekaterina Khayrutdinova (AUB): 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
3. #23 Deniz Dilek (UGA) def. #84 Angella Okutoyi (AUB): 7-5, 6-1
4. #30 Ashton Bowers (AUB) def. #33 Anastasiia Gureva (UGA): 6-4, 6-3
5. #31 Ava Esposito (AUB) def. #42 Sofia Rojas (UGA): 6-4, 6-4
6. Emma Dong (UGA) def. Eva Ionescu (AUB): 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 1, 3); Singles (3, 5, 4, 6, 1, 2)

Up Next
The No. 1 Bulldogs will face the winner of No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 10 Ohio State in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships final Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Combe Tennis Center.

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 2 Texas A&M/No. 10 Ohio State
Date: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Site: Combe Tennis Center
Live Stream: https://gado.gs/e1r
Live Stats: https://gado.gs/e1r

Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Women's Tennis on X @UGAWomensTennis, on Instagram @UGAWomensTennis, and on Facebook @GeorgiaWomensTennis or check out information online at GeorgiaDogs.com.