AUBURN, Ala. – Men's tennis is set for two road tests this weekend, batting Wisconsin on Friday and Notre Dame on Sunday. Auburn's match against Wisconsin is set for 5:30 p.m. on Friday and its Sunday match with Notre Dame will be played at 11 a.m. CT. These two contests will mark the Tigers' first road dual matches of the season.
"Wisconsin is going to be ready for us playing on their own turf," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said about Friday's match. "They do a great job of getting a large crowd. I expect a lot of rowdy fans to be in the stands which is fun to play under whether you're home or away, so the guys have to be ready for that environment."
Wisconsin has had a difficult start to its 2023-24 campaign, dropping each of its six matches this season. Auburn faced Wisconsin at home last season at Yarbrough Tennis Center and won the match 6-1. The Tigers have never lost a match in the all-time series, leading 5-0.
"It'll be somewhat of a long travel day on Saturday heading into Notre Dame, who arguably might have one of the best number ones in the country," continued Reynolds. "Also, the courts are going to be a little bit quicker, so we have to make sure that we are practicing and adjusting to that. We need to understand how those fast courts can help us or put us in defense in certain positions."
The Fighting Irish will play an away match against Michigan on Friday before hosting Auburn Sunday morning. Currently, Notre Dame holds a 3-2 record including a win over Wisconsin. The team dropped both matches during ITA Kickoff Weekend to No. 11 Kentucky and Nebraska. Sebastian Dominko has started four matches at the No. 1 singles position for Notre Dame and holds a perfect 3-0 record.
Auburn will be well rested entering the weekend, as the team had no matches this week. The Tigers' last match was a 4-0 win over Louisiana on Jan. 29 during ITA Kickoff Weekend in Athens, Geogia. Sophomore Billy Blaydes was one of the top performers for the Tigers during the weekend, earning a singles win during the match against Texas A&M and a doubles win alongside Will Nolan to earn the doubles point over Louisiana.
Friday's match against Wisconsin at Nielsen Tennis Stadium will begin at 5:30 p.m. CT while Sunday's match in South Bend, Indiana, against Notre Dame will be played at 11:00 a.m. CT. Live video and live stats of Friday's match will be available online at uwbadgers.com while live video and live stats of Sunday's match can be found online at fightingirish.com.
