BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –– Alabama men’s tennis sophomore Filip Planinsek and freshman Matia Ponce De Leon earned Southeastern Conference postseason honors, the league office announced on Thursday. Planinsek was named a Second Team All-SEC honoree for the second consecutive year while Ponce De Leon was selected for the conference All-Freshman team.
Planinsek’s award marks the 27th time Alabama has had an athlete named to the All-SEC second team and he is the 21st player in program history to earn multiple all-conference honors. Additionally, Ponce De Leon is the ninth UA player since 2011 to be named the freshman team.
- Since entering the singles rankings on Feb. 8, has continued to climb reaching a season high of No. 75
- Has also been ranked with two different doubles partners during the season with a season-high ranking of No. 78 with partner German Samofalov and No. 87 with Enzo Aguiard
- Has recorded 19 singles wins this season with 13 victories coming at the No. 1 spot
- Finished the season winning five of his last nine singles matches
- Defeated ranked opponents: No. 26 Ozan Baris (Michigan State), No. 38 Noah Schachter (Texas A&M), No. 58 Ronald Hohmann (LSU), No. 60 Nikola Slavic (Ole Miss) and No. 72 Will Grant (Florida) in singles and No. 10 Sema Pankin/Eleftherios Neos (Portland), No. 44 Nemanja Malesevic/Carles Hernandez (Mississippi State) and No. 48 Stefan Latinovic/Nick Watson (LSU) in doubles
- Battled the No. 1 doubles team of Samuel and Thomson (South Carolina) to a 5-5 unfinished result
- Advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA Southern Regional Championships doubles draw
- Helped Alabama defeat then-No. 16 Florida with a two-set win on court two
- Since joining the Crimson Tide in October, Ponce De Leon has recorded 16 singles wins
- Has won three of his last four singles matches, including a victory in the second round of the SEC Tournament
- Recorded a three-set victory to help Alabama defeat No. 16 Florida and a two-set win in the team’s victory of No. 17 Auburn
- Upset ranked opponents No. 103 Ewen Lumsden (Mississippi State), No. 104 Pierce Rollins (Texas A&M), No. 108 Charles Hernandez (Mississippi State) and No. 119 Nate Bonetto (Florida)
- Finished the season playing at the No. 3 spot in the Tide’s singles lineup
- Captured Alabama’s first point in the team’s win over Auburn and clinched the team’s win over Arkansas
Get all the latest information on the team by following…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Alabama Athletics…