No. 18 Auburn men’s tennis will compete in both home and away matches this weekend, beginning with an away match against Tennessee in Knoxville on Friday at 4 p.m. CT. The team will then return to Auburn for two matches on Sunday, facing No. 5 Mississippi State at noon and Eastern Kentucky at 5 p.m. CT.
Auburn holds a 9-1 overall record after securing an upset win over No. 15 Florida last Saturday in its conference opener. This victory moved the Tigers into the ITA top 25 for the first time this season, now ranked No. 18—their highest ranking since April 11, 2023, when they reached No. 17.
Sophomore Hamza Nasridinov contributed significantly to the recent win by defeating Florida’s Henry Jefferson, who is ranked No. 29 nationally in singles play, clinching the team victory for Auburn. Nasridinov currently has a singles record of 19-3 for the season and is 5-1 in dual matches. Billy Blaydes has been a regular player at the No. 2 singles position and has compiled a record of 6-2 in dual matches.
Tennessee enters Friday’s match with a record of 6-6 overall and is winless (0-2) in conference play following losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt on the road. The Volunteers are ranked No. 66 nationally by the ITA.
On Sunday, Auburn will face Mississippi State at home—a team that previously defeated Auburn during ITA Kickoff Weekend on January 24 with a score of 4-2 at Starkville’s A.J. Pitts Tennis Center, earning Mississippi State a spot at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Mississippi State is currently ranked No. 5 with an overall record of 10-2; their only losses have come against top-ranked Virginia and third-ranked Texas.
Later on Sunday, Auburn will play Eastern Kentucky, which brings an overall record of 8-9 into the weekend after winning its last two matches against Furman and Chattanooga.
Live video and scoring for Friday’s match can be accessed via UTSports.com, while coverage for both Sunday matches will be available through AuburnTigers.com. Fans attending Sunday’s match between Auburn and Mississippi State will receive free team buttons while supplies last; additional information is posted at AuburnTigers.com/MatchDay.
In individual rankings from ITA: Hamza Nasridinov is ranked No. 56 in singles; Billy Blaydes is No. 86; Manel Lazaro is No. 84; and the doubles pair Billy Blaydes/Freddy Blaydes is ranked No. 20.
