Jan. 20, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn opens the 2017 men's tennis season at UCF Sunday at the brand-new USTA National Campus courts, the first team match under head coach Bobby Reynolds.
"Our guys have worked hard over the break, and they are hitting the ball well, so we're eager to get started," Reynolds said. "This will be a good chance to see where we are against a team that's undefeated so far. I know John (Roddick, UCF coach) well, and I know what to expect from his guys in terms of their work ethic. This will be a good match between comparable programs."
UCF is 3-0 on the new season, with wins over No. 23 Texas Tech, New Mexico and Arizona. The Knights are coached by John Roddick, who was head coach at national runner-up Oklahoma last season, with Reynolds serving as his assistant there.
Contending for a spot in the singles lineup for opening weekend are Max Hinnisdaels, Carles Sarrio, Conner Huertas del Pino, Dante Saleh, Brandon Laubser, Edward Nguyen and Olle Thestrup. The doubles combinations will be Hinnisdaels and Huertas del Pino, Saleh and Nguyen, and Laubser and Sarrio.
"Conner and Max had a good fall season, and that's reflected in their national ranking," Reynolds said. "The other two tandems have gelled well together. 90% of doubles is finding a partners who complement each other, so we're going to stick with these teams for a while."
Action at UCF will begin at 11 a.m. Central. Live video of the match will be available at: https://playsight.com/livestreaming and live scoring is at: http://www.tennisticker.de/usa/ustanc/lp.html?lid=16.
In the initial Oracle/ITA national rankings for 2017, seniors Hinnisdaels and Huertas del Pino are rated No. 14 in doubles after posting a 4-1 fall tournament record. Sophomore Olle Thestrup, at No. 125, is Auburn's only ranked player in singles based on fall tournament results.
Next weekend, the Tigers play at No. 2 Wake Forest in the ITA Kickoff matches. Auburn faces Georgia State in the first round Friday, and will play either Wake Forest or Nebraska in a Saturday match.
Auburn opens its home season on Saturday, February 4, with a pair of matches against Alabama A&M (10 a.m. and 3 p.m.) and hosts Georgia Tech Sunday, February 5, at 1 p.m. All home matches are at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.