This past weekend, the Alabama men’s tennis team hosted the SEC/Big Ten Challenge tournament, in which the SEC won 39 of the 52 matches. The Crimson Tide contributed 14 wins.
Teams from across the country came to Tuscaloosa to compete for their schools and conferences. The SEC had Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss; the Big Ten had Michigan, Wisconsin and Purdue. The SEC had a big weekend, combining for an overall record of 39-13 and leaving the Big Ten schools all with a losing record in the tournament.
This was the first tournament of the season for the Crimson Tide as Alabama is entering this tournament ranked No. 49 in the preseason rankings after ending the 2022-23 season 12-15 and going 3-9 in conference play last year. Alabama ended this tournament with an overall team record of 14-4 while going 9-3 in single matches and double teams going 5-1.
During this tournament, the Crimson Tide had a surprise showing from freshman Andrii Zimnokh. He went undefeated in his first collegiate tournament, going 3-0 in singles matches and helping his doubles team go 3-0. His doubles teammate Yair Sarouk, a sophomore, went 1-2 in his singles match.
The second doubles team that was in action this past weekend was junior Filip Planinsek, who went 3-0 as a single, and sophomore Matias Ponce De Leon, who went 2-1 as a single. As a team, they went 2-1.
This week the Crimson Tide will be traveling to Stillwater, Oklahoma, the home of Oklahoma State, to compete in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. This tournament will take place Friday through Sunday.
