October 1, 1998
LEXINGTON, Ky.–The University of Kentucky will play host to the first Charles Fluitt Collegiate Tennis Classic at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center this weekend. Play begins Friday, Oct. 2, and ends Sunday, Oct. 4. The Classic features five top-30 teams–Kentucky, Harvard, Illinois, Minnesota and Tennessee. The tournament will feature top individuals as well.
“Outside the collegiate grand slams, this will be one of the strongest fall tournaments of the season from both a team and individual standpoint,” UK coach Dennis Emery said. “We have a really good field with four top-25 teams and the No. 3-ranked singles player, James Blake of Harvard.”
Kentucky finished last season ranked 25th in the country, continuing its annual success. The 1996-97 campaign saw the Wildcats finish fifth in the polls after a season in which they defeated top-ranked Stanford and No. 2-ranked Georgia. UK will now rebuild around five freshman, including top newcomers Johan Gruditz, Gustav Pousette and Tomaz Smid. Last weekend, Grunditz won the singles title at the Middle Tennessee State Fall Classic. The Wildcats must deal with the losses of three-time All-American Cedric Kaufmann, Marcus Fluitt and Dan Spaner.
“We feel like we have a lot of depth, and we hope to give everyone a chance to play everywhere in our lineup,” Emery said. “It will be a good chance for our freshmen to see a high level of collegiate play.” Harvard ended last season with a 25-4 record and a No. 18 national ranking under coach David Fish. The Crimson were led by one of the most successful brother combos in NCAA history in James and Thomas Blake. While Harvard will try to cope with the loss of Thomas, James returns to lead the Crimson in his sophomore campaign after a summer in which he played as a wild card in the U.S. Open.
Illinois was a big surprise nationally last season after upsetting UCLA and Mississippi State to advance to the finals of the National Indoor Team Championships. Illinois advanced to the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships and finished with a No. 10 national ranking. The Fighting Illini return most of last seasons lineup and add a freshman class with great potential and depth.
Minnesota coach David Geatz is rapidly developing a reputation as a coach capable of getting his team to peak at the right time. He has taken the Golden Gophers to the round of 16 at the NCAA Championships in two of the past three seasons. Last years young team has matured and improved, and the Gophers could make a jump into the national rankings.
Tennessee made great strides last season under first-year coach Michael Fancutt. After finishing 1997 with a 0-12 Southeastern Conference record and a No. 60 national ranking, the Vols compiled a 14-7 overall record, 7-7 in the SEC, and jumped to 19th in the country. As a result, Fancutt was last years SEC Coach of the Year. The Vols return most of their line-up and add freshman Peter Handoyo, who reached the quarterfinals at the National Clay Court Championships a week ago.
The Wildcats face Tennessee at 7 p.m. on Friday, and Illinois at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
