Two former Alabama men’s tennis players, Enzo Aguiard and Filip Planinsek, are beginning to find success as professionals on the International Tennis Federation circuit.
Aguiard, an Australian, played four seasons for the Crimson Tide from 2021 to 2025. Competing primarily at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles, Aguiard accumulated 59 singles victories and 42 doubles victories throughout his college career.
He was also selected to the 2021-22 SEC All-Freshman Team and was a two-time winner of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southern Regional Championship.
Following his senior season in 2025, Aguiard began competing on the ITF pro circuit year-round. On March 1, he earned his maiden ITF title in a victory at the M25 event in Burnie, Australia.
“It’s nice to see what I’ve been setting out to do in practice come to fruition on the match court, helping me progress my game and get this title,” Aguiard said.
Following the tournament win, Aguiard jumped over 300 spots in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings to No. 760 in the world, his career-high singles ranking. He also secured the highest-ranked win of his professional career when he upset then-No. 232 Yu Hsu, a veteran from Chinese Taipei, in the second round.
Aguiard is now looking to build on that tournament in what could be a breakout 2026 campaign for the former Crimson Tide star.
Planinsek, another Alabama alumnus, is also battling on the ITF circuit.
From 2021 to 2025, the Slovenian phenom became one of the most accomplished players in Alabama men’s tennis history. In addition to becoming the 2024 NCAA singles champion, Planinsek was a two-time First Team All-SEC selectee and the 2022 SEC Freshman of the Year.
Planinsek began his professional career in 2024, taking the fall off to compete as part of the ATP Next Gen Accelerator Program. During that time, he reached the quarterfinals and semifinals of several ITF events. He picked up his first ATP victory when he defeated No. 189 Kamil Majchrzak in the first round of an ATP Challenger event in Amersfoort, Netherlands.
Following his senior season, Planinsek began competing professionally full-time.
Over the last year, he reached a career-high ATP ranking of 545 and won his first ITF title in Marburg, Germany, on June 30, 2025. More notably, however, was his opportunity to represent Slovenia in the annual Davis Cup. Over the course of three group qualifying events, the former UA standout went undefeated in singles, securing wins over Turkey, Greece and Indonesia.
“I’m forever grateful for their tireless effort, invaluable commitment and for making an impact in this program and my life,” head coach George Husack said of Aguiard and Planinsek on their senior night.
Now, both are translating their college success into promising professional careers, helping to prove that Alabama can be a launching pad for triumph at the highest levels of tennis.
