Ithaca, N.Y. – Kentucky Men’s Tennis junior Rafael Ymer advanced from the qualifying draw to the men’s singles semifinals at the 2026 M15 Ithaca Tennis Tournament this past week, ultimately falling in the semifinals on Saturday. Three additional Wildcats picked up singles victories at the competition.
Both Ymer and sophomore Nicolas Arseneault claimed two wins in the qualifying draw, giving them the opportunity to compete in the main draw. The two joined fellow Kentucky players Mikael Arseneault and Eli Stephenson in the main draw.
In the first round, all four Wildcats defeated their opponents. Nicolas Arseneault took down No. 3 seed Tomasz Berkieta in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(1). His brother, Mikael Arseneault, took care of business as well, taking down No. 7 Matt Kuhar in two straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. Senior Eli Stephenson earned his first-round victory over Jonah Braswell, 7-5, 6-2. Ymer secured his first win in the main draw by defeating Connor Plunkett, 6-1, 6-4.
Two Wildcats took home victories in the second round. In his match against Rethin Pranav Senthil Kumar, Nicolas Arsenault dominated, winning 6-3, 6-0. Ymer also found success, claiming victory over Jan Klimas, 7-6(5), 6-4. Both Eli Stephenson and Mikael Arseneault fell in the second round in three-set thrillers.
In the quarterfinals, Nicolas Arseneault played against Rodrigo Fernandes, ultimately coming up 6-1 in the first set and retiring 3-1 in the second. In his battle against Vigness Gogineni, Ymer dominated once again, taking the win in two sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Ymer’s run at the tournament was cut short by No. 4 seed Jack Anthrop. The Stockholm native took the first set 6-4 and fell in a highly contested second set, 7-5. The final set went to Anthrop, 6-4.
Next up, the Wildcats will continue their fall slate at the ITA South Sectional Championships on Nov. 5-8 at a soon-to-be-announced location.
