March 8, 2018
AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn men's tennis team (9-6, 0-1 SEC) hosts No. 28 South Carolina (11-3, 1-1 SEC) Friday at 6 p.m. and entertains No. 9 Florida (7-4, 2-0 SEC) Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"Our guys are looking forward to playing back at home and hopefully playing outdoors," Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds said, as his Tigers are in the midst of a stretch of seven consecutive matches against ranked opponents.
"We've been practicing later this week to prepare for an evening match and getting used to being outside with the depth perception with the lights and the wind. "These are very good opponents who had good opening weekend wins. Against South Carolina, if we play the way we can and believe in ourselves, it will be a competitive match. Ranked in the Top 10, Florida is very good, but it's a great opportunity for us."
In the latest Oracle/ITA national rankings, Auburn freshman Matteo De Vincentis is ranked No 104 in singles. South Carolina, ranked No. 28 as a team, has two ranked players in singles: Gabriel Friedrich (29) and Francisco Cerundolo (80). The Gamecocks' doubles tandem of Friedrich and Yancy Dennis is ranked No. 34.
No. 9 Florida has three players ranked in singles: Johannes Ingildsen (6), Alfredo Perez (7) and Andy Andrade (101). The Gators' doubles team of Ingildsen and Perez is ranked No. 1 in the nation, and three other doubles combinations have national rankings.
For Friday's match, fans will receive free t-shirts while supplies last. All Auburn home matches are held at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn), and admission is free.