Feb. 23, 2017
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn men's tennis team (6-4) begins play Friday in the 69th annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.
The Tigers' first match is Friday at 12:30 p.m. facing Princeton; later Friday, Auburn will face either South Carolina or Texas Tech. Other teams in the men's draw include Alabama, Virginia Tech, Boise State and Rice. Championship matches will be held on Saturday.
"It's a strong field with some really good teams, and our guys enjoy playing there each year," Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds said. "It will make for some interesting competition this weekend. As we go up against all these teams, I've told the guys to embrace our underdog status and just play tennis. We were picked last in the SEC, so we have nothing to lose, but I think we can surprise some folks."
Auburn's tentative lineup for this weekend is: Singles: Max Hinnisdaels, Carles Sarrio, Conner Huertas del Pino, Edward Nguyen, Olle Thestrup, Brandon Laubser; Doubles: Hinnisdaels/Huertas del Pino, Thestrup/Nguyen, Laubser/Sarrio.
In the latest Oracle/ITA rankings, Hinnisdaels, the SEC player of the week, is No. 59 nationally in singles, improving 32 spots from the previous ratings. In doubles, Hinnisdaels and Huertas del Pino are No. 17 nationally.
Following the Blue Gray Classic, Auburn opens the SEC portion of its schedule Sunday, March 5, hosting Mississippi State at 1 p.m. All home matches are at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.