Wildcats Men’s Tennis Kicks Off 2016 at Florida Gulf Coast Invite

LEXINGTON, Ky. – In the final tournament appearance before the dual season, Kentucky men’s tennis will begin the 2016 season with a trip to Fort Meyers, Fla. for the Florida Gulf Coast Invite. 

The tournament will pit the Wildcats against Southeastern Conference foe LSU, Memphis and host Florida Gulf Coast. 

Kentucky boasts a pair of ranked singles players and one ranked doubles team heading into the new year. Sophomore William Bushamuka highlights the Wildcats talent, ranked in both singles and doubles play. Bushamuka ranks No. 79 in the nation headed into the season in singles play, while he and senior Beck Pennington make up the 58th-ranked doubles pair in Division I men’s tennis. Junior Nils Ellefsen also is ranked in singles play, coming in at No. 117 in the country. 

In addition to the Wildcats’ returners, freshmen Ryotaro Matsumura and Enzo Wallart recently joined the team and will both look to add depth and talent for the 2016 roster. For more on Matsumura, click here; for Wallart, click here. 

“I am excited to see our team compete after the break,” said fourth season head coach Cedric Kauffman. “We had a good fall. We also have some newcomers in Ryotaro and Enzo whom I’m very excited about. All of our players have gotten better and everyone is competing at a higher level than last year. This weekend can be a good platform to get us ready for a good start to the season. If we want to be an elite team this year, toughness and discipline will be key.”

UK will kick off the dual season on Jan. 15, playing host to both Northern Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky, with the Cats facing NKU at 1 p.m. and EKU at 5 p.m.

For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter or Kentucky Men’s Tennis Team on Facebook.