Auburn begins SEC men's tennis play for 2021 this weekend with a pair of conference road contests.
The Tigers will face No. 20 South Carolina at 2 p.m. CT Friday at the Carolina Tennis Center in Columbia, S.C. Auburn travels to Gainesville, Fla., for a Sunday match with No. 11 Florida at 11 a.m. CT at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
"The Gamecocks will be a battle," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds predicts. "I think we may have the advantage in the doubles, which is great to think walking into any SEC match. They've got strong guys at one and two who have given us some trouble the past two years, but 3-4-5-6 I would say is a coin flip.
"Florida's very good at doubles – their top doubles team has historically been among the top 5 in the country. They do a very good job of fundamental doubles. They serve and volley very well, they knock volleys off, they hit volleys short so we have to hit up on them, and at two and three for them, they're just more big-ball strikers with just sheer power. We saw a lot of that with Miami, so that is helpful going into the Florida match.
"Going into the singles with Florida, Tyler (Stice) played both their number one and number two guys tightly in the fall, losing in three sets. The five and six, we played them tightly in the fall – we look and say if we're going to get them, that's where we need to be successful.
"Just staying on the court, that speaks volumes. Obviously in our sport, we don't have the time clock, but there is something to be said of just staying on the court as long as you can, making it a battle, so if you can prolong those matches where maybe you haven't matched up well individually against your opponent, pushing them to 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 and the same thing in the second set, that gives the overall match longevity.
"That's really important for us in both matches; we're going against two teams who are ranked, great teams that will play for the SEC championship. We just have to have three guys win and a doubles point, That's what's so unique and exciting about tennis. This is going to be a great chance."
The Tigers are now 3-4. South Carolina is 4-2 and has three nationally ranked players in singles: Daniel Rodrigues (32), Raphael Lambling (81) and Connor Thomson (118). The Gamecocks have two ranked doubles teams: Rodrigues and Thomson (44) and Lambling and Phillip Jordan (59).
Florida, 4-1 before a Friday match with No. 23 Alabama, has five ranked singles players: Sam Riffice (8), Duarte Vale (12), Blaise Blackwell (68), Andy Andrade (85) and Lukas Greif (96). Riffice and Vale are ranked No. 45 as a doubles pairing.
The Tigers open SEC play at home on Friday, February 26, hosting Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (1717 Richland Road, Auburn). Fans wearing face coverings are welcome to attend any matches played outdoors; fans may want to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating to remain socially distanced. If weather moves the match indoors, only participants and officials will be admitted.
