Dec. 20, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Former University of Kentucky men’s tennis player Tigran Martirosyan capped off a successful year by winning four titles on the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Futures Circuit this year with two crowns apiece in singles and doubles action.
Besides the four titles in 2008, Martirosyan advanced to semifinals on two occasions in both singles and doubles play. He finished the year with a 31-12 singles record, upping his career mark to 51-29 all-time on tour. On the doubles court, Martirosyan compiled a 14-9 ledger to improve his career tour record to 26-17 overall. As a result of his many wins this season, the former Wildcat has achieved his highest career Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings in singles (468) as well as doubles (829).
“Tigran has really had a great year on the USTA circuits,” said UK head Dennis Emery. “He has really positioned himself well to make a run during the 2009 season. It’s good to see him continuing to improve on the tour. It couldn’t happen to a nicer person.”
Martirosyan won his first career doubles title last July in Peoria, Ill. He teamed up with Marcus Fugate of Rochester, N.Y., to notch his first career tour title. The pair knocked off the top seed in the tourney quarterfinals en route to the championship.
A week later, the former Wildcat earned his first career singles title. Martirosyan won the Joplin, Mo., tourney by defeating current Florida State junior Jean-Yves Aubone 6-3, 5-7, 6-0 in the final.
Martirosyan’s best performance of the year took place in Decatur, Ill., in late July. With doubles partner Daniel Yoo of South Korea, Martirosyan won his third career title overall and second doubles crown of his career. The third-seeded tandem defeated the second seed pairing in the semifinals on the way to the final win. On the singles side, Martirosyan defeated the number four seed in the semis before falling to the second overall seed in the tourney final.
At the next singles tournament in Milwaukee, Wis., fourth-seeded Martirosyan made a run to the singles semifinals before his doubles partner Yoo defeated him 6-3, 6-3 on the way to the tourney crown.
In September, sixth-seeded Martirosyan defeated three consecutive seeded players, including top-seed Michael McClune ranked 343 in the world, en route to his second career singles title and fourth championship overall in Claremont, Calif.
The 2005 UK grad knocked off another pair of seeded singles players two weeks later in Irvine, Calif., to advance to the semifinals. Martirosyan and partner Andrey Kumantsov of Russia also advanced to the semis on the doubles side after eliminating the top seed in the quarters.
Last month, Martirosyan jetted to Hawaii to close out the circuit schedule. In Kohala Coast, Hawaii, the fourth-seeded Wildcat advanced to the singles final by knocking off current doubles partner Kumantsov as well as the number one seed overall, but former doubles partner Yoo beat Martirosyan for the crown 7-5, 6-4. The next week in Honolulu, Kumantsov and Martirosyan advanced to the doubles semis in the final circuit event of the year.
A native of Armenia, Martirosyan currently lives in Boston where he has taught tennis at the Westboro Tennis and Swim Club.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for more Kentucky men’s tennis news.
