Men’s Tennis Nabs No. 4 Ranking in ITA Preseason Poll

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s tennis made history on Wednesday when the Wildcats received the program’s highest ever preseason ranking from the ITA, coming in at No. 4 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s first team poll of the 2023 season.

The Cats are positioned three spots above the school’s previous high mark of No. 7, which occurred at the start of the 2012 season.

UK leads a high-powered SEC conference which features a nation-best seven teams in the top-25, including four schools inside the top-10 (No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Georgia, No. 10 South Carolina).

Defending National Champion Virginia sits atop the rankings will all 12 first-place votes. The Cavaliers are followed by Ohio State (No. 2) and TCU (No. 3).

The Wildcats are coming off the best season in program history in 2022, finishing as the National Runner-Up after reaching the NCAA Championship title match as the No. 8 seed. UK finished the year with a 26-8 record and a 10-2 mark in the SEC.

This year’s Kentucky roster is led by returning ITA All-American, Liam Draxl, and features a total of seven student-athletes with ATP rankings points.

The 2023 spring season will begin, Jan. 18 with a doubleheader dual vs. Dayton at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center.

For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.