UK Men’s Tennis Selected as NCAA Championship Host Site
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After finishing the regular season with a 15-0 record at home, the University of Kentucky men’s tennis team will spend one final weekend at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
The Wildcats (18-7) earned a No. 14 seed in the 2021 NCAA Championship and the right to host Cleveland State (18-4), Arizona (19-7) and Michigan (15-4) for first- and second-round action on Friday and Saturday.
First, Arizona will face Michigan on Friday at 10 a.m. ET. Then, Kentucky and Cleveland State will finish off the day’s competition at 1 p.m.
The winners of Friday’s matches will meet in the second round on Saturday at 1 p.m.
One victor from each of the 16 on-campus sites around the country will advance to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, where the remaining teams will compete for a national title over a six-day span.
Kentucky was initially slated to host the Horizon League champion Vikings last February during the regular season, but the match was canceled due to health and safety protocols. The Wildcats swept Cleveland State in back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournament matchups in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Kentucky’s latest at-large berth marks the 30th NCAA Championship appearance in program history.
In the latest ITA Computerized Rankings, Kentucky checked in at No. 15, while Arizona was ranked No. 19 and Michigan landed at No. 44. The Cats feature five players included in the ITA Singles Rankings—including first-team All-Southeastern Conference performers No. 1 Liam Draxl and No. 12 Gabriel Diallo—as well as a top-10 doubles pair.
Admission to all three matches will be free. Capacity at Boone Tennis Complex is limited to 1,000 and will be available to fans on a first come, first served basis. Pass lists will be utilized for team guests. For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
