AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn is hosting the men's tennis 2019 ITA Southern Regionals this Thursday through Tuesday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center, a qualifier for the Oracle/ITA National Fall Championships.
Teams participating include host Auburn, Alabama, Alabama State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana-Lafayette, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, New Orleans, Samford, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Troy, Tulane and UAB.
"This is the culminating tournament we gear up for in the fall. The finalists go on to fall nationals in California, but I think it's especially nice to host it. Our guys get the comfort of knowing the surroundings and the court speed, which plays into the mental side of tennis, and it showcases the facility we have at Yarbrough and all we have here in Auburn," Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds said. "Thursday, we'll have 32 matches in the morning, then take a lunch break, and then come back for 16 more matches in the afternoon. Friday, there will be a few less singles but we'll have doubles play. Pretty much all 18 courts will be action Thursday, Friday and Saturday before the field pares down.
"There are 24 direct acceptances based on rankings, and the rest start in the qualifying round, which is 65 players. We'll play three rounds of singles and then the final eight will move into the main draw which starts Saturday, giving us a field of 32 remaining. Three more singles rounds and we'll have a champion on Tuesday.
"We'll have three guys in the main draw starting Saturday – Matteo DeVincentis, Tom Wright and our new freshman Tyler Stice; the rest of the guys will be in the qualifying round that starts Thursday. The guys know the importance of this tournament – everything from our training, our lifting, our conditioning has been geared toward this tournament this fall.
"I'm really happy with the team as a whole in how we are staying attentive to detail in practice. I believe we have two or three guys who could push far in this tournament, and several guys I expect to make it into the main draw. We have a new dynamic on the team with some new guys as part of Auburn tennis, so it will be a fun couple of days."
Play begins Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m.; Sunday, Monday and Tuesday start times will be set later. Go to www.AuburnTigers.com for bracket information and match times. All matches will be played at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.
The singles finalists and doubles champions advance to the Oracle/ITA National Fall Championships in Newport Beach, Calif., in November.
Auburn has had four regional singles winners in the past decade: 2009: Tim Puetz; 2011: Andreas Mies; 2014: Lukas Ollert; 2015: Max Hinnisdaels.