Net News, Volume 4
11/4/2021 10:43:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Hello From The Coasts
This weekend finds the Tide rolling in two groups and in different directions to compete in a pair of strong tournaments. The first is out west at the ITA National Fall Championships in "America's Finest City", San Diego, Calif. Former S.D. mayor and U.S. Senator, Pete Wilson, dubbed the coastal town of nearly 1.5 million people with this nickname back in the early 1980s. Before Wilson gets full credit, however, the genesis of the slogan came from Look magazine, which had once dubbed San Diego "one of America's finest cities." Wilson carried the idea to its promotional zenith, instituting "America's Finest City Week" and a litter of smaller celebrations. Well Wilson's idea stuck and the many miles of sandy beaches, crisp ocean breeze and bright sunshine definitely contribute to the nickname.Â
Following "one of Alabama's finest performances", freshman Filip Planinsek and graduate transfer Juan Martin earned their ticket to the Fall Nationals after they captured the doubles title at the ITA Southern Regional Championships in Auburn a couple of weeks ago. The newly formed pair displayed strong serves, damaging returns and opportunistic poaches to string together five victories and earn the crow - a first for Alabama since 2002 when Geoff Hiscox and Stephen Mitchell accomplished similar honors.Â
Filip and Juan will play their first round on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CT at the Barnes Tennis Center against Baylor's Finn Bass and Sven Lah. All matches will offer live scoring via Tennis Ticker (download the free app by clicking here) and live streaming via Track Tennis (click here). Cracked Racquets, a digital sports media company that covers junior, college and professional tennis, will offer a live broadcast by clicking here. So there are plenty of ways to catch the action between the Crimson Tide and the Bears as well as continued tournament coverage throughout the weekend.
Our other six Bama ballers – freshmen Enzo Aguiard, Zach Foster and German Samofalov, sophomores Rudi Christiansen and Joao Ferreira, and senior Patrick Kaukovalta – head southeast to Orlando, Florida and more specifically, Lake Nona. Central Florida (UCF) will host a hidden dual on their home courts at the beautiful USTA Campus that has the Crimson Tide as the only out-of-state participant in this all-Florida school event. Alabama plays South Florida (USF) on Friday at noon CT, Florida State (FSU) and Florida Atlantic (FAU) on Saturday at noon CT and host UCF at 8 a.m. CT on Sunday. As with other hidden duals we competed in this fall, each day will start with doubles followed by singles just like a regular dual match. A competitive feel and certainly one our squad is excited to participate in as this marks the final college event of the fall semester. There will be one more home tournament for the guys, as the ITA Tour Fall Circuit presented by Universal Tennis stops on campus November 12-14. The $5,000 championship offers both men's and women's divisions and will be contested at the UA Varsity Tennis Stadium. We are grateful to have partnered with the Tuscaloosa Tennis Center to host this tournament and continue growing opportunities for the tennis enthusiasts in our community. Â
So there's plenty of tennis to keep track of this weekend online or in person if you're in San Diego or Orlando, as well as an opportunity to see up close and personal next weekend at our facility. The spring semester and much-anticipated dual match season is just around the corner, however we must stay focused on where we are today - either on the beach in San Diego or with the Knights, Bulls, Seminoles, Owls or Mickey Mouse in Lake Nona. You can now join our official booster club, the Crimson Racket Club (CRC) online at www.crimsonracketclub.org. The CRC provides a greater following of Alabama Tennis and a fantastic opportunity for fans and players to continue the growth and advancement of the tennis programs.
Looking forward to seeing more and more faces in the crowd, on campus or in the community.
Roll Tide,
George
Players Mentioned
