Thursday, October 1
Macon, Ga.
All Day
Mercer University
vs
Mercer Gridiron Classic
Tennis Teams To Host 3-Day Mercer Gridiron Classic Beginning Thursday
9/30/2026 1:51:00 PM | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
MACON – The Mercer men's and women's tennis teams will make their only home appearance of the fall this weekend as the Bears suit up to host the Mercer Gridiron Classic at either of two off-campus sites.
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The men's portion of the scheduled 3-day event will take place at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in north Macon, while the women's tournament will be held at the Randy Stephens Tennis Center in south Macon. Admission to both sites is free. The tournament features more than 200 entries from 19 different universities. The tournament features more than 200 entries from 28 different universities.
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Doubles action will get underway at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at both sites, while Friday's slate features two rounds of singles matches. The tournament will wrap up on Saturday with one round of both singles and doubles play.
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It will be the third-straight weekend of competition for the Mercer women who have already made appearances at the Kennesaw State-hosted Georgia Mid-Major Mayhem and last week's Charleston Southern Invitational. Returners Jelena Gojkovic and Valentine Abide Talaki have already accumulated a team-best four singles victories in the fall portion of competition.
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The event will mark the fall debut for the Mercer men who return five players off of last year's squad, including seniors Howell Burns (5th Year) and Esteban Davila Gasser. Head coach Eric Hayes welcomed three transfers to his roster over the summer as well, including former Florida Gulf Coast standout Pablo Paternostro. Nico Niox (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) and Raphaël Rousson (Flagler) were added to MU's artillery as well.
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The men's portion of the scheduled 3-day event will take place at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center in north Macon, while the women's tournament will be held at the Randy Stephens Tennis Center in south Macon. Admission to both sites is free. The tournament features more than 200 entries from 19 different universities. The tournament features more than 200 entries from 28 different universities.
Â
Doubles action will get underway at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at both sites, while Friday's slate features two rounds of singles matches. The tournament will wrap up on Saturday with one round of both singles and doubles play.
Â
It will be the third-straight weekend of competition for the Mercer women who have already made appearances at the Kennesaw State-hosted Georgia Mid-Major Mayhem and last week's Charleston Southern Invitational. Returners Jelena Gojkovic and Valentine Abide Talaki have already accumulated a team-best four singles victories in the fall portion of competition.
Â
The event will mark the fall debut for the Mercer men who return five players off of last year's squad, including seniors Howell Burns (5th Year) and Esteban Davila Gasser. Head coach Eric Hayes welcomed three transfers to his roster over the summer as well, including former Florida Gulf Coast standout Pablo Paternostro. Nico Niox (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) and Raphaël Rousson (Flagler) were added to MU's artillery as well.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Friday, October 02
Sunday, September 27
Sunday, September 20
Saturday, September 19
