Liam Draxl Earns SEC Player of the Week Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky junior Liam Draxl was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday. This marks the fifth weekly honor of his career, as he was named the SEC Newcomer of the Week and SEC Player of the Week two times each in 2021.
 
The Newmarket, Ontario native was selected for the honor after taking down two top-40 opponents in singles this past weekend, helping lead the Wildcats to a pair of road wins against No. 41 LSU and No. 35 Mississippi State. 
 
In the team’s first tilt at the LSU Tennis Complex on Friday, No. 21 Draxl took on No. 40 Ronald Hohmann and picked up a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 victory for his second-straight match-clinching win. 
 
Kentucky then closed its regular season with a trip to Starkville, Mississippi, to face off against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Draxl played No. 27 Florian Broska and was able to secure yet another big win, in a gritty three set finish by a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 result.
 
On the year, Draxl holds a 13-5 record, all from the one spot. He owns 21 wins over nationally ranked competition and has taken down the top-ranked singles player twice in his career. Overall, Draxl is 41-13 during his college career in singles.
 
Draxl has been recognized as one of the premier college tennis players in the last two yearsHe was named an ITA All-American in singles and was the SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2021, also landing on the ITA Collegiate All-Star Team, All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Newcomer Team. 
 
Most notably, Draxl was named the ITA Player of the Year in 2021, becoming the first player in program history to earn the prestigious accolade. 
 
Draxl’s player of the week award comes just two days prior to the start of the SEC Tournament. UK is the No. 3 seed in the field with a 10-2 conference record, earning a double-bye into the quarterfinal round. The team finished the regular season with a 19-6 overall record and was 10-6 against ranked opponents.
 
Kentucky will take on the winner of the second-round match between No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 11 Arkansas on Friday at 11 a.m. ET at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, in Athens, Georgia. Tickets for the event can be purchased here. 
 
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.