Alabama
Florida State
No. 18 Alabama Men’s Tennis Edges No. 15 Florida State in 4-3 Road Victory
2/8/2025 5:56:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide recorded upset, ranked victories in doubles and singles action to highlight the win over the 15th-ranked Seminoles
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 18 Alabama men's tennis team picked up its seventh victory of the season in a top-20 showdown against No. 15 Florida State, edging the Seminoles in a 4-3 road win on Saturday. The win moved the Crimson Tide to a 7-1 overall record, while FSU dropped to 7-3.
The Tide was aided by three big upset victories, including Filip Planinsek and Matic Kriznik taking down the No. 4 nationally ranked doubles team and 2024 NCAA doubles semifinalists Alex Bulte and Youcef Rihane. Additionally, Planinsek topped 15th ranked and 2024 singles All-American Corey Craig on court one, while Roan Jones defeated No. 27 Jamie Connel on court two.
In addition to the Tide's ranked victories, UA saw wins from Matias Ponce De Leon and Jones on doubles court three to clinch the opening point, before Ponce De Leon secured the overall team victory with a three-set win at the No. 3 spot in singles.
From Head Coach George Husack
"Such a gritty performance today. Tremendous execution in doubles followed by great resolve in singles. We had opportunities to close the match out on three courts, but the Seminoles didn't relent. Neither did our guys. [We had] Six three-setters and not a moment where results impacted our ability to stay focused and compete through the finish line. Exciting finish for Mati (Matias Ponce De Leon), "La Bestia" (The Beast), and a great team win."
Match Notes
- Alabama jumped out to an early advantage after Filip Planinsek and Matic Kriznik defeated the fourth-ranked doubles pairing in the country on court one
- Planinsek and Kriznik would drop just two games to the 2024 NCAA doubles semifinalists on their way to a 6-2 win against Youcef Rihane and Alex Bulte
- Florida State evened doubles action with a win on court two, but Matias Ponce De Leon and Roan Jones would battle through a 7-3 tiebreaker against Jamie Connel and Jan Sebesta on court three for the opening point
- Planinsek was the first to win in singles, downing 15th-ranked and All-American Corey Craig, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, on court one
- Jones followed with a three-set come-from-behind win over 27th-ranked Connel, taking the match at 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Florida State evened the score at 3-3 after earning wins on courts four, six and five, respectively, forcing the deciding point to come down to a third-set battle on court three
- Ponce De Leon fell in a contested 8-6 opening set tiebreaker, before battling back to take a 7-3 tiebreak victory in round two
- The battle would continue into the third set with the UA junior claiming the team win with a 7-5 third-set score
Next
- Alabama returns home to host Presbyterian on Feb. 14
- The Valentine's Day match is set to begin at 6 p.m. CT at the Alabama Tennis Stadium
Results
Doubles
- Matic Kriznik/Filip Planinsek (ALA) def. #4 Youcef Rihane/Alex Bulte (FSU) 6-2
- Joshua Dous-Karpenschif/Erik Schiessl (FSU) def. #79 Damien Nezar/Andrii Zimnokh (ALA) 6-4
- Roan Jones/Matias Ponce De Leon (ALA) def. Jamie Connel/Jan Sebesta (FSU) 7-6 (7-3)
Order of Finish: 1,2,3
Singles
- #84 Filip Planinsek (ALA) def. #15 Corey Craig (FSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
- #76 Roan Jones (ALA) def. #27 Jamie Connel (FSU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Matias Ponce De Leon (ALA) def. Alex Bulte (FSU) 6-7(6), 7-6(3), 7-5
- Erik Schiessl (FSU) def. Andrii Zimnokh (ALA) 2-6, 6-2, 7-6
- Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) def. Matic Kriznik (ALA) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
- Youcef Rihane (FSU) def. Zach Foster (ALA) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish 1,2,4,6,5,3
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,4,6,5,3
Players Mentioned
