Baadi, Lapadat, Mercer Earn NCAA Invites

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Subcommittee announced its selections for the NCAA singles and doubles tournaments on Tuesday evening, naming three Kentucky Wildcats to compete at the Championships, held May 20-25 at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla.

Taha Baadi was Kentucky’s only selection to qualify for the singles draw, while Josh Lapadat and partner JJ Mercer received an invitation to the doubles tournament checking in at the No. 3 seed.

Baadi, currently No. 30 in the ITA singles rankings, is 13-9 on the season including eight wins against nationally ranked players. These wins helped him achieve a season-high ITA singles ranking of No. 21 in the country earlier this year. This year’s tournament will mark Baadi’s first NCAA singles appearance.

Lapadat qualified for the doubles championship alongside redshirt senior, Mercer. The duo has occupied the top doubles court for UK for the entirety of the season and is currently ranked as the No. 4 pair by the ITA. Lapadat and Mercer are 15-5 together this year, with seven wins against ranked opponents.

Additionally, Mercer makes his first NCAA doubles appearance this season. He was named to the SEC All-Tournament team following Kentucky’s SEC Tournament title. He contributes to Kentucky’s success in doubles next to Lapadat accomplishing a career-high ITA doubles ranking of No. 4 this season.

Kentucky will begin its quest for an NCAA team title this Friday when the Wildcats host DePaul for a first round matchup at the Boone Tennis Complex beginning at 4 p.m.

For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.