Nov. 5, 1999

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Kentucky?s three top rated men?s tennis playerspassed through the first two rounds of the ITA Region III Championshipsunscathed on Thursday. Carlos Drada, Johan Hesoun and Edo Bawono will take tothe courts on Friday morning for third round action at the University of Georgia?s Dan MagillTennis Complex.

All three Wildcats received a first round bye and won their respective secondround matches to earn the right to play on Friday. Drada, No. 27, took care ofTulane?s James Ortner, 6-4, 7-5, in his match and will play Tiago Ruffoni ofAuburn. Hesoun, ranked 54th, ousted Boris Babic of South Florida in a three-setaffair, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2, and will play Florida?s Dylan Mann. Also advancing wasBawono, No. 82, who dropped Daniel Chavarria of Tennessee Tech in straightsets, 6-1, 6-4, to earn a match-up with the tenth-ranked player in the country,Justin O?Neal of Florida.

In other singles action, Swedish sophomores Johan Grunditz and GustavPousette lost their matches on Thursday. Grunditz lost in the first round toMichael Lang of Miami, 6-3, 6-1, while Pousette, after a bye in the firstround, lost to Daniel Dauber of Florida Atlantic in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1.

In doubles action, the duo of Bawono and Drada won 8-4 over Marcus and Taylor of Jacksonville State and will now play the 33rd ranked team of Fitzpatrick and Handoyo of Tennessee. After a first round bye, Hesoun and Pousette will see their first doubles action of the tournament when they face Goetzman and Winnig on Friday.

A qualifier for the ITA National Indoor Championships, Feb. 3-6, inDallas, the Region III Championships pit the top players in arguably the topregion in college tennis against one another. Region III features some of thetop college tennis powers such as Miami (Fla.) and defending national championGeorgia, as well as fellow SEC powers Kentucky, Florida, Ole Miss, MississippiState, LSU, Alabama and Tennessee. The region is also home to 14 of the currenttop 28 ranked collegiate players in the country.