May 1, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior Anthony Rossi, junior Tom Jomby and freshman Kevin Lai were all selected to compete in the 2013 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships to be held in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., it was announced on Wednesday.
Rossi will be the No. 4 overall seed in the singles championship bracket, as Jomby makes the field as an at-large player. In addition, Jomby will team with Lai as the duo who is currently No. 9 in the nation received an invitation to compete in the championship.
Rossi moved into the top five of the national Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings last week for the first time in his career after compiling a 2-0 record in the SEC Tournament and going 22-5 on the year in singles. Rossi has played the No. 1 position for every match but one this season, including matching up against four top-10 ranked players in the country. Rossi has two victories over No. 6 KU Singh of Georgia, with both coming in straight sets. In addition, he also has a win over No. 10 Raymond Sarmiento of Southern California, 6-3, 6-4. Rossi became just the 15th player in UK tennis history to eclipse the 100-career win mark earlier this season as he joined the likes of Eric Quigley and Alex Musialek in UK’s recent run of major success.
Tom Jomby has also combined with Rossi to form one of the best one-two punches in NCAA Tennis today. Jomby in singles performed brilliantly during the season, going 19-6 with a signature win over No. 4 Peter Kobelt of Ohio State, 6-3, 7-6 (3). Jomby played 17 ranked opponents this season, and etched wins in 10 of those matches out, with eight of the 10 coming in straight sets.
Jomby also forms the Wildcats number one doubles team, teaming up with freshman Kevin Lai, who together have endured a 15-8 season together. Included in Jomby and Lai’s major wins were wins over No. 3 Daniel Cochrane/Andres Mies of Auburn 8-6. Jomby and Lai played a greatly-important tiebreaker last week at the SEC Tournament, as they came from down a break to win 9-8 (5), and clinch the doubles point over No. 9 Mississippi State. Jomby and Lai have won seven matches this season against ranked opponents, and are currently ranked No. 8 in the nation.
The NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships will be held following the NCAA Team Championships in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., hosted by the University of Illinois. The competition in singles and doubles will get underway on May 15 and continue through the 27th of the month.
For continuing coverage of UK men’s tennis, log on to UKathletics.com.
