Ryo Matsumura Named ITA Ohio Valley Region Player to Watch

TEMPE, Ariz. – Kentucky junior Ryo Matsumura was named the 2018 Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Ohio Valley Player to Watch, the ITA announced on Monday afternoon.
 
The ITA Player to Watch award goes to a player who had an outstanding season and is either a freshman, sophomore or junior. Kentucky has taken the award home in each of the past three seasons. Will Bushamuka was honored in 2017 and 2016.
 
Matsumura adds the award to his first team All-SEC award he won earlier this season. The Fukui, Japan native was also named Co-SEC Player of the Week on April 11 after beating the No. 3 player in the nation, Mikael Torpegaard of Ohio State.
 
Matsumura finished the season 17-4 overall with 11 of those wins coming on the top court. Matsumura went 9-3 against nationally ranked opponents, and beat two players ranked No. 3 in the nation. He won his first 14 of 15 matches of the season and finished the year with six wins over top-30 opponents.
 
Matsumura is currently ranked No. 8 in the nation, and will compete in the NCAA Singles Tournament as a seeded player. The tournament begins on May 23, with Will Bushamuka will join the Matsumura in the singles tournament, while Gus Benson and Cesar Bourgois will compete in the doubles tournament.
 
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 23-28 at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after the conclusion of the team championship, which runs from May 18-22.  Wake Forest University will serve as host.
 
The National Player to Watch will be announced on Wednesday.
 
For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter or Kentucky Men’s Tennis Team on Facebook.