Kentucky Welcomes No. 20 Michigan State for Sunday Showdown
Kentucky (2-0, 0-0 SEC) is set to close out the first week of play with its first ranked test of the season, hosting No. 20 Michigan State (0-0, 0-0 B1G) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 18. Admission to the match at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington is free to the public and free pizza will be available for fans while supplies last.
The Wildcats enter the match after sweeping a season-opening doubleheader against Dayton Wednesday, defeating the Flyers by score lines of 6-1 and 4-0. Eli Stephenson earned a pair of ranked wins on the day, defeating No. 86 Mikkel Zinder in singles and teaming up with Jack Loutit to defeat No. 79 McNally/Jaen.
Kentucky is undefeated in its last 29 home matches, dating to February 2024. Since 2021, Kentucky is 73-5 in Lexington.
The Wildcats enter the spring season after a successful fall campaign that saw Stephenson and Loutit qualify for the 2025 NCAA Singles Championship and advance to the round of 32. Stephenson earned his first career ITA Singles Ranking at the end of the fall, debuting at No. 19, while Loutit enters the dual season at No. 26. The duo also rank No. 69 in the ITA doubles rankings and enter their junior season after an All-American campaign on the doubles court in 2025.
Freshman Mikael Arseneault also earned his first career ITA Singles Ranking after the fall campaign, debuting at No. 124. In the preseason rankings, Antoine Ghibaudo (No. 29), Jaden Weekes (No. 44), and Nicolas Arseneault (No. 82) all earned recognition, though not currently ranked due to a light match load in the fall season.
The 2026 Wildcat squad enters the new year with seven returning players from a 2025 team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to All-American and All-SEC players Loutit and Stephenson, these returners include ATP Top 500 player, First Team All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman, and ITA Ohio Valley Region Rookie of the Year Antoine Ghibaudo and All-SEC athletes Jaden Weekes and Charlelie Cosnet.
The Cats also added the No. 8 freshman class in the country, welcoming twin brothers Nicolas and Mikael Arseneault. Nicolas featured as the No. 5 newcomer in the country according to the ITA and holds a career high ATP Ranking inside the top 500.
The Wildcats are receiving votes in the preseason ITA Coaches Poll and are set to face 11 teams in 2026 that are inside the top 25 or receiving votes.
Michigan State will make its season debut in Lexington, entering 2026 after a second round appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Spartans feature four ranked singles players—No. 3 Matthew Forbes, No. 14 Ozan Baris, No. 90 Vuk Radjenovic, and No. 103 Dylan Saye. In doubles, two Spartan teams enter the spring season ranked—No. 14 Taym Alazmeh/Danial Rakhmatullayev and No. 76 Saye/Mitchell Sheldon.
Kentucky will hit the road next week, traveling to New York for ITA Kickoff Weekend. Hosted by Columbia, the Cats will open against Florida at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, January 23. On Saturday, January 24, Kentucky will either face the host Lions or Illinois, depending on the results of Friday’s matches. Kentucky will return home the following week, hosting Louisville on Friday, January 30 and Duke on Sunday, February 1. All home matches are held at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex and admission is free to the public.
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
