PeterKobelt

Peter Kobelt, the winningest doubles player in the history of Ohio State men’s tennis, enters his second season as men’s tennis volunteer assistant coach at the University of Kentucky in 2021-22.

A breakthrough 2020-21 campaign for the Wildcats was highlighted by a wire-to-wire finish in the top 25 of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, as well as by a slew of individual accomplishments. Kentucky hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Championship and finished with a 16-1 record at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

Sophomore Liam Draxl earned the first ITA National Player of the Year honor in school history after five consecutive appearances atop the ITA singles rankings and a postseason singles run that ended in the NCAA Championship semifinals.

Kentucky was one of seven schools to put three participants in the 64-player singles field at the NCAA Championships, where two Wildcats reached the round of 16 in the same season for only the second time ever.

Draxl earned ITA All-America status in singles competition, while fellow sophomore Gabriel Diallo became the seventh player in UK history to earn ITA All-America distinction for both singles and doubles in the same year.

Including Diallo’s doubles partner César Bourgois, Kentucky produced the program’s 22^nd, 23^rd and 24^th all-time ITA All-Americans this year. Draxl and Diallo were selected to the All-Southeastern Conference first team, while senior Millen Hurrion was chosen for the second team. Draxl was also named the SEC Newcomer of the Year.

Kentucky ended the season as one of four schools with five players placed among the final ITA singles rankings and the only SEC institution with multiple players on the SEC All-Newcomer Team.

Kentucky was awarded the UTR ITA Team of the Month in April for producing the largest increase in Universal Tennis Rating Power 6 Rating over the course of the month.

A 6-foot-7 native of New Albany, Ohio, Kobelt was a letter winner for the Buckeyes from 2011 to 2014. His 139-30 (.822) doubles record is the best in program history, spearheaded by a tie for the program’s most single-season doubles wins (44) in his final crusade.

It was during that same 2014 season that Kobelt’s furthest NCAA Championship run culminated in a three-set loss alongside Kevin Metka in the tournament’s final doubles matchup.

Peaking as the nation’s No. 1 singles player and No. 2 doubles competitor while in college, Kobelt was a three-time ITA All-American, three-time All-Big Ten selection, five-time ITA Midwest Regional champion, ITA Midwest Region Senior Player of the Year and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Following his storied career at Ohio State, Kobelt embarked on a professional campaign that climaxed with a No. 332 singles ranking and No. 378 doubles ranking on the ATP Tour. He won seven events in doubles play and four in singles, while earning an opportunity to practice alongside the 2016 U.S. Davis Cup team in Melbourne, Australia.