Dec. 8, 1999

LEXINGTON, Ky. — University of Kentucky men?s tennis star Carlos Drada achieved a personal-best singles ranking of No. 9 on Tuesday when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its preseason rankings. Fellow Cats Johan Hesoun and Gustav Pousette earned a doubles ranking of 40th in the nation while Hesoun also garnered the No. 48 singles ranking.

“Carlos continues to establish himself on the national level and is seeing the benefits of all his hard work,” Head Coach Dennis Emery said. “The computer does not lie and Carlos is very deserving of this ranking.”

Drada began the ?99 fall season ranked 27th in the nation, but moved up after a brilliant fall season which saw him go 10-5 against the nation?s top talent. Drada had five wins against top-35 opponents this fall, including a victory over then-No. 8 ranked Peter Handoyo of Tennessee en route to a berth in the finals of the Citizens Bank Clay Court Championships.

After a 10-6 fall record, Hesoun moved up six spots from his fall preseason ranking of 54th in the nation. Hesoun had three victories over ranked opponents this fall. The doubles team of Hesoun and Pousette began the fall unranked, but find themselves in the No. 40 spot after a spectacular 10-4 fall season. The fall was highlighted by their title at the Citizens Bank Clay Court Championships where they ousted Boise State?s then-No. 2 ranked duo of Meineke and Moody in the quarterfinals and the 13th ranked team of Andersson and Moser of Virginia Commonwealth in the finals.

Drada, Hesoun, Pousette and the rest of the Cats will begin the spring season on January 20-22 when they compete in the SEC Indoor Championships at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.