LEXINGTON, Ky.?University of Kentucky men?s tennis coach Dennis Emery announced the signing of Brad Cox (Duluth, Ga.) to a National Letter of Intent, Wednesday.

Cox, a native of New Zealand, has attended the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, where he is coached by David ?Red? Ayme, Ariel Gaitan and Gabriel Jaramillo. The incoming freshman is rated as a Blue Chip recruit and among the top 20 nationally in his class by www.tennisrecruiting.net.

Cox has been ranked as high as 119 in the ITF World Junior rankings. His top tier tournament included reaching the semifinals at the International Grass Courts.

?We are very excited about Brad,? said Emery. ?We targeted him early because of his size and his ability to play both singles and doubles. He has a big upside with his aggressive game and is no where near reaching his potential. He is very coachable and someone our staff can?t wait to get on the court and work with.?

Cox has also been stellar among the international circuit in doubles as well. He won the finals of the doubles competition at the Costa Rica Bowl in March 2007 playing along side his younger brother Jordan. The duo also reached the semifinals of the USA Spring Championships falling to the defending US Open Doubles Champions, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Cox will join the team in the fall of 2007. He is the second signee this season for Emery and his staff. Earlier this year Kentucky signed Will Beck from Potomac, Md.