Matsumura Earns Fourth Consecutive NCAA Singles Bid
LEXINGTON, Ky. – As Kentucky prepares for its opening round matchup with VCU in the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships on Friday, senior Ryo Matsumura’s personal postseason outlook now looks a little clearer. On Tuesday, the Fukui, Japan, native was selected as an at-large participant in the competition’s singles tournament for the fourth consecutive season.
The singles championship will be conducted May 20-25 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, after the conclusion of the team championship, which is scheduled for May 16-19.
Matsumura was one of 14 players from the Southeastern Conference to qualify for the event. Automatic qualification was awarded to 15 conference champions from around the country, while 49 at-large selections completed the full 64-person field.
Matsumura owns a 15-9 overall record in 2019 dual matches, capped off by a six-match winning streak. He recorded a team-best 11 wins as Kentucky’s top singles participant and seven victories over nationally ranked opponents. He was named the season’s first SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 30 and received a No. 35 placement in the latest ITA Division I Men’s National Singles Rankings on April 23.
Matsumura, who earned ITA All-America honors last season, is seeking his first appearance in the tournament’s second round after most recently falling 6-4, 6-3 to California’s Billy Griffith in 2018.
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