Alabama’s Planinsek Advances to NCAA Championships Singles Draw
5/3/2022 5:16:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Filip Planinsek will compete in the NCAA singles competition May 23-28 in Champaign, Ill.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –– Filip Planinsek will represent Alabama men's tennis at the NCAA Championships Singles Draw, the NCAA announced Tuesday. The 2022 NCAA singles and doubles competition will be held May 23-28 at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Ill.
From Head Coach George Husack
"The NCAA championships feature the nation's best and Filip earned his place in the draw because of his commitment in practice and execution in match play. He relished being in the top position in both singles and doubles which you don't see quite often from first-year players. Filip's a competitor, however, who continuously sought out ways to get better and I'm excited for his freshman journey to continue in Champaign."
The second highest-ranked freshman in the country at No. 25 and only freshman to hold a national ranking in singles from the Southeastern Conference, Planinsek has paced the Crimson Tide throughout the season. The UA rookie has competed at the No. 1 spot all year, posting a team-leading 21 singles wins with 14 coming in dual match competition. He topped seven ranked players during the season, including the top-ranked player in the country, Ben Shelton (Florida), in a come-from-behind three-set win. Planinsek's performance on the court earned him the title of SEC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first in program history to receive that conference honor.
The 26th player from the Alabama men's team to advance to the NCAA Championships Singles Draw, Planinsek will mark the 40th time that the program has qualified someone for the singles competition. This year marks the fourth-consecutive championship that UA has been represented in the event with Mazen Osama making the tournament in 2018 and 2019 and Edson Ortiz advancing in 2021 (there was no NCAA Tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Under the direction of head coach Husack, UA has recorded 20 berths to either the NCAA singles or doubles draw.
In addition to his performance in singles, Planinsek also competed at the No. 1 spot in doubles and has been ranked with three different doubles partners. He is one of just four conference freshmen to be currently ranked in the event and the only one to be ranked with two different teammates. Planinsek is the 2021 ITA Southern Regional Doubles Champion with partner Juan Martin and earned a berth to the ITA Fall National Championships last fall. He holds a team-leading 21 doubles wins with 15 coming at the top of the Tide's lineup.
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