UK Men’s Tennis Hits Road Seeking Fourth SEC Victory
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Since entering Southeastern Conference play with a .500 overall record, No. 35 Kentucky (9-7, 3-1 SEC) has won three of its last four for sole possession of fourth place in league standings. The Wildcats ride that momentum into a road match with No. 37 Arkansas (10-7, 1-2 SEC) on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.
Kentucky equals last year’s 3-1 start in conference play that included a 5-2 win over the 2018 Razorbacks in Lexington. More recently, the Cats defeated No. 17 Alabama 5-2 last weekend in the season’s first win versus a top-25 ranked opponent. UK followed the victory with a 5-2 win over Auburn on the outdoor courts of Boone Tennis Center.
The Cats are led on the season in singles play by No. 44 Ryo Matsumura, who picked up a 6-4, 6-2 win over the Crimson Tide’s No. 36 Mazen Osama and a 6-0, 6-4 triumph over the Tigers’ Matteo DeVincentis in his last two outings. Sophomore Kento Yamada, who competed in the third singles slot in each of Kentucky’s back-to-back wins, defeated Patrick Kaukovalta of Alabama 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 and Tad Maclean of Auburn 7-5, 6-3.
Matsumura is 9-6 overall, highlighted by a team-best four wins over nationally ranked players. Yamada owns the Cats’ best individual record at 13-1.
Arkansas enters Saturday on the heels of three straight losses, capped by a 4-3 defeat at the hands of No. 28 Vanderbilt last Thursday at home. The Razorbacks are tied for eighth place in the SEC.
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