Crimson Tide Wheelchair Tennis Bounces Back with Pair of Wins at the Auburn Open

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The Alabama Crimson Tide wheelchair tennis team had gotten off to a 2-4 start to the 2023-2024 season, including two 3-0 losses to Auburn.

But the team bounced back, going 2-0 at the Auburn Open on Nov. 11, with the first win coming 2-1 against Auburn.


Alabama beat Auburn 2-1 at the Auburn Open on Nov. 11 at Auburn, the Crimson Tide's first win over Auburn in three matches this season. Junior Max Barbier pictured.
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

Coach Tyler McKay said the team had made some changes in its game based on watching film from the first two matches against Auburn.

See also: Tyler McKay returns to Alabama to Take Over Wheelchair Tennis Program

Alabama opened the match by dropping the doubles point.

“Even in that match, I liked the way we were playing,” said McKay. “I liked the way we were competing. I knew we had a decent chance at winning the next two (points).”

Alabama got its first point with freshman Martha Harris winning her singles match.

Then she and McKay watched junior Max Barbier finish off his singles match victory to earn the win for Alabama.

“I kind of felt going into the first set that it was going to be more evenly matched this time,” said Barbier who had never won a match against that Auburn opponent. “When I won the first set (6-3), my confidence got really high, my game got a lot better, and I think, once I started two and three games ahead of him in my set, I knew ‘we probably got it this time!’

Barbier won the second set 6-3 also.

McKay admitted that the match against Auburn had “a little extra energy” due to the storied rivalry between the two schools, though he acknowledged that he and Harris, both in their first years, might not fully appreciate the rivalry.

“Playing against Auburn in any sport is a really big deal here,” said Barbier, mentioning his experience with the rivalry. “Being able to come in here and having the privilege of playing against the big rivals, it’s always a fun experience for me, and I always take it all in and soak in the moment.”

See also: Davis Faulkner Leaves After a Year and Half as Director of Operations

Alabama followed the win over Auburn with a 2-1 win over Clemson later in the day buoyed by the confidence it gained in the win over Auburn and the rivalry and history of that matchup.


Alabama capped off the Auburn Open with a 2-1 win over Clemson. Freshman Martha Harris pictured.
(photo courtesy of Alabama Adapted Athletics)

That win brought the Crimson Tide’s record to .500 as they finished the first stretch of the season.

“If you give it everything you have every day, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to beat anyone; no one is unbeatable,” Barbier concluded. “There’s always a way to beat somebody, beat a team, beat an individual.”

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