Net News, Volume 3
1/30/2025 11:02:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Hope you're enjoying the last week of January. How quickly the calendar turns from one week and month to the next. We have three matches at home this weekend and would love to see you out there if you're able to make it. Fun times ahead for kids and adults of all ages.
We returned from the ITA Kickoff Weekend with a 1-1 record. The goal was to win both and qualify for the National Team Indoor Champships but No. 5 Virginia halted that process.
In our first match against VCU, we competed against former Bama assistant coach and now VCU head coach Dimi Kutrovsky's new team. Doubles started out with great enthusiasm on both sides of the net. We have worked extensively on our doubles the past five months, and I feel our guys have made noticeable gains with regards to knowing where to put the ball, where to expect the ball, how to adjust if needed and how to execute the play point after point. Doubles is only one set to six with no-ad scoring, so it's vital to keep a handle on things or else points fly by in a hurry.Â
Our VCU match took place early Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (8 a.m. CT). The not-so-normal start time didn't phase our team. Andrii Zimnokh & Damien Nezar and Roan Jones & Matias Ponce De Leon took care of business on their courts while Filip Planinsek and Matic Kriznik were in a tug-of-war. That put the crimson and white up, 1-0.Â
The momentum carried into the singles portion of the day with Mati (Matias Ponce De Leon) making quick work of his opponent on court No. 3. Filip followed soon after, defeating former Alabama player German Samofalov at the top spot. The clincher came on court No. 4 as Andrii put an end to the Rams' efforts with a straight set win. Match Bama!
On the other side of the Kickoff Regional draw, Virginia had a tight match with Boise State but pushed through to the final with a 4-2 win. The Cavaliers have made a name for themselves in college tennis during the 21st century having won the NCAA team championship six times (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023) and likewise racked up a similar number of National Indoor titles (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017). Plenty of championship banners hung from the rafters at the Boars Head Resort Sports Club, which we saw daily, but we were determined to give the Hoos all we had.
Doubles was tight, where we served for the match on court No. 1 and had a few chances to go up a break on court No. 2. Doubles on court No. 3 was ever so close though the score didn't tell the whole story. UVA converted their opportunities and jumped ahead 1-0.
We shifted gears and began singles neck and neck. The 2024 NCAA singles champion, Filip Planinsek, led Alabama on court No. 1 with a straight-set win over the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, Dylan Dietrich. After dropping the first set on court No. 3, Matias pushed ahead with a service break, 4-1. Matic, making his second start in as many days, held tight with his Cavalier opponent on court No. 5. Roan, Andrii and Damien battled back-and-forth on their courts, however, UVA again was converting more opportunities. The end result was a 4-1 defeat. No national indoors for us this season, however, our time to shine will be May, so back to work we went.
This weekend we host three teams at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Indoor Tennis Facility (R.A.B.). I understand the weather forecast calls for sunshine on Sunday, but we will stay indoors. We plan our schedule to compete inside through the National Indoor weekend (Presidents' Day in Feb.) regardless of our Kickoff result and then shift to the outdoor courts.Â
The festivities take place on Friday at 4 p.m. versus Tulsa. This is the first of two Kids Days where Big All and free pizza will be available for kids and their families. Fans without kids can also share in the fun. Sunday will be a doubleheader day with Middle Tennessee State at 11 a.m. followed by Alabama A&M at 4 p.m. We''ll have free donuts for the first match as well as water bottles for fans.
Our first match versus Georgia Tech brought a standing room only crowd. Would love to see it again this weekend as it's a ton of fun to compete with so many of you cheering us on. ALA - BAMA!
Crimson Racket Club memberships are nearing 100 (members) which would be a great accomplishment. Stop by the CRC table at all matches to get your hospitality credential if you're a current member. And, if you're not part of the CRC, you can stop by the table, scan the QR code and become a member instantly…and receive a comfy Alabama Tennis blanket as your membership gift. We also have Alabama Tennis hats (with the elephant logo) and extra blankets for purchase.
Thanks again for your continued support and we shall see you at the R.A.B.
Roll Tide!
Coach George
Players Mentioned
