No. 14 Seed Kentucky to Host Cleveland State on Friday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After finishing the regular season with a 15-0 record at home, the 14th-seeded Kentucky Wildcats (18-7) are set to return to Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex for an NCAA Championship first-round matchup against Cleveland State (18-4) on Friday at 1 p.m. ET.
The contest will follow the day’s opener between Arizona (19-7) and Michigan (15-4) at 10 a.m. The winners of Friday’s first-round competition will meet in the second round on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lexington.
The Wildcats are led into the tournament by No. 1 Liam Draxl, No. 14 Gabriel Diallo, No. 33 Millen Hurrion, No. 85 César Bourgois and No 105 Joshua Lapadat on the singles court. Draxl has held the No. 1 ranking since April 14 and locked up the top overall seed in the NCAA Singles Championship, which will also feature fellow All-Southeastern Conference performers Diallo and Hurrion at the conclusion of the team tournament.
Draxl has never dropped a singles match at home during his collegiate career.
Bourgois and Diallo earned a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championship, as well, entering Friday with a No. 6 national ranking. Hurrion and Tate Sandman received a doubles ranking of No. 90.
Kentucky was initially slated to host the Horizon League champion Vikings last February during the regular season, but the match was canceled due to health and safety protocols. The Wildcats swept Cleveland State in back-to-back-to-back NCAA Tournament matchups in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
Admission to all three matches will be free. Capacity at Boone Tennis Complex is limited to 1,000 and will be available to fans on a first come, first served basis. Pass lists will be utilized for team guests. For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
