April 10, 2003

The University of Kentucky men’s tennis team (16-9, 6-4) will encounter yet another difficult road matchup Friday when the Wildcats take on eighth-ranked Vanderbilt (17-3, 7-2). The match is set for 3 p.m. EDT at the Currey Tennis Center in Nashville. The Cats’ last conference match of the season is Kentucky’s third match on the home courts of a top-10 opponent, and the seventh road match overall on a ranked opponent’s home courts.

The Wildcats swept a pair of matches from the Commodores in 2002. UK defeated Vanderbilt during the regular season in Lexington and knocked the Commodores out of the 2002 NCAA Championships.

A potential dual at No. 1 singles between Vanderbilt’s second-ranked Bobby Reynolds and Kentucky’s 16th-ranked Jesse Witten would be the fourth meeting between the two in one year. The pair split a couple of matches during the 2002 season, and Witten prevailed in the Omni Hotels Region III Indoor Championships in Lexington last October.

Besides the presence of the second-ranked Reynolds, the balance of the Commodores’ lineup adds to its formidability. Vanderbilt features two other highly-ranked student-athletes in No. 15 Chad Harris and No. 55 Matt Lockin. In addition, VU adds the 13th-ranked doubles tandem of Harris and Scott Brown and the 28th-ranked pair of Reynolds and Lewis Smith.

The Cats counter with junior Karim Benmansour at No. 100, and the doubles pair of Witten and junior Rahim Esmail entered the latest Omni Hotels/ITA collegiate tennis rankings as the 55th-ranked doubles duo. Esmail and Witten have won their last six decisions in doubles play. Sophomore Evan Austin and freshman Alex Hume have provided solid doubles play, as well, sporting a 6-2 SEC record.

Kentucky is 9-9 on the season against ranked opponents; a victory Friday would be the Cats’ first of the season over a top-10 team.