Men's Tennis . February 21, 2025

Gamecocks Begin SEC Play at Home

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina men’s tennis team opens conference play with a pair of ranked 1:00 p.m. matches at home, hosting No. 19 Alabama on Sat., Feb. 22 and No. 35 Auburn on Mon., Feb. 24.

Parking will not be available in the pit for Saturday’s match. Fans are encouraged to park in metered spots or in the garage next to the Dodie for $10.

Gamecock Notables

The Gamecocks enter this match with a 6-3 record, coming off a 7-0 sweep against UNCW at home last week.
South Carolina got the ball rolling early, earning the doubles point thanks to a 6-3 win from Jelani Sarr and Atakan Karahan, and a 6-2 victory from Connor Thomson and Lucas da Silva. In singles action, Sean Daryabeigi, da Silva, and Karahan won their matches in straight sets to clinch the Gamecock victory. Sarr won his match next in straight sets, though he battled through a tie break to take his first. Casey Hoole and Gabe Avram both won their first and third sets to clinch the sweep. Hoole won his deciding set in a super tie break.
Daryabeigi moved to a 6-2 singles record in dual matches this season. Avram continued his undefeated streak, moving to a 5-0 singles record in dual matches.
The Gamecocks have two marks in the latest edition of ITA singles rankings with Daryabeigi at No. 68 and Thomson at No. 110.

Scouting the Crimson Tide

No. 19 Alabama enters Saturday’s match on a five-game winning streak, coming off of a 7-0 sweep over Presbyterian. The Crimson Tide are 8-1 on the season and 1-1 on the road.
Roan Jones and Filip Planinsek are both 6-0 in singles play, earning ITA rankings at No. 59 and No. 23 respectively. Matias Ponce De Leon, who plays in the positions 2 and 3, is Alabama’s third undefeated player in singles at 6-0.
The Crimson Tide have four tabs across the ITA’s latest edition of doubles rankings. Matic Kriznik and Filip Planinsek lead with a No. 41 ranking followed by Andrii Zimmonkh & Zach Foster (No. 47), Roan Jones & Damien Nezar (No. 60) and Jay Friend & Planinsek (No. 63).
Alabama’s lone loss came on the road against No. 5 Virginia when it fell 4-1 just 10 days after the Gamecocks dropped their match to the Cavaliers 5-2. The Crimson Tide has played one other ranked opponent so far this season, narrowly defeating a then-No. 15 Florida State 4-3 on the road.

Scouting the Tigers

No. 35 Auburn is 7-2 for the 2025 dual match season, currently riding on a five-game win streak. Most recently the Tigers defeated FGCU twice in a double header with final scores of 4-1 and 5-0. Auburn opens SEC play with a trip to No. 49 Florida before facing the Gamecocks.
Alex Frusina, who plays at the No. 2 and 3 positions for the Tigers, is undefeated in singles with a 6-0 record which has earned him a No. 112 ITA ranking. Auburn’s No. 1 singles player, Will Nolan, is ranked No. 124 with a 3-2 record.
Nolan and Billy Blaydes are undefeated in doubles play at the No. 1 position with an 8-0 record that earned them a top 10 ranking of No. 9 in the NCAA.

Series History

The Gamecocks and Crimson Tide are neck and neck in the history books. The all-time series is tied at 25-25.
The last time the two met was in the first round of the SEC Tournament on April 18, 2024 when South Carolina took the 4-2 win. The Gamecocks have won the last five matches between the two schools.
South Carolina and Auburn also have a near-even record with the Tigers leading 21-24. The longest win streak between the two programs was held by the Gamecocks who had nine straight victories over Auburn. The Tigers broke that run in 2022 and enter this match on a three-game win streak over the Garnet & Black.
The last match between the two was an upset for South Carolina as a then-No. 35 Auburn topped the No. 16 Gamecocks 4-1 in 2024.

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