The Auburn men’s tennis team will host No. 10 Texas A&M on Thursday and No. 2 Texas on Saturday in its last two regular-season home matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, according to an April 1 announcement from the university. The match against Texas A&M is scheduled for 3 p.m., while Senior Day against Texas will begin at noon.
These matches are significant as both visiting teams are ranked in the top ten nationally, presenting a challenge for Auburn as it aims to strengthen its position in the Southeastern Conference standings before postseason play.
Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said, “We know that the SEC schedule is absolutely brutal, and we have Texas A&M and Texas coming in, who are both ranked top 10 in the country. We’ve shown as a program that we can compete and beat anybody in the country when all six guys show up for singles and doubles. I’m excited for the opportunities over these next matches for our guys to continue to push and beat top programs.”
The Tigers recently split their weekend matches at home by upsetting No. 7 LSU but falling to No. 16 South Carolina. Auburn holds a season record of 15-6 overall and is tied for eighth place in SEC play with a conference record of 5-5 after climbing five spots to No. 18 in the ITA National Team Rankings following their win over LSU.
Sophomore Hamza Nasridinov has been notable this season with victories over two top-30 opponents last week, moving him up to No. 26 nationally with a personal record of 24-7 overall (10-5 dual). In doubles, Billy and Freddy Blaydes climbed into tenth place nationally after defeating South Carolina’s eighth-ranked pair; they now hold a combined dual-match record of 12-5 this season.
Texas A&M enters Thursday’s match with a record of 15-7 overall (8-3 SEC) after recent wins against Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Tennessee but lost earlier this month to Ohio State. The Aggies lead Auburn historically with ten wins out of fourteen meetings.
Texas comes into Saturday’s contest tied atop the SEC standings at nine conference wins alongside Mississippi State; they have won four straight matches including victories over Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Senior Sebastian Gorzny leads their roster as he is currently ranked second nationally in singles competition.
Fans attending Thursday’s match will receive charcuterie snacks while supplies last; those present on Saturday can get free T-shirts during Senior Day festivities honoring several team members following play on court.
