Wildcats Fall Short in ITA Regional Championship Finals

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Kentucky men’s tennis was represented in the singles and doubles draw of the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships, but were unable to take home the trophy on Monday. Junior Trey Yates competed in the singles championship while the pairing of senior Beck Pennington and sophomore Enzo Wallart competed in the doubles championship.

In the singles finals, Yates fell to Ryan Peniston of Memphis in a hard-fought 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 match. In the doubles championship, the pairing of Pennington/Wallart were defeated by Luis Valero and Jack Schipanski of Tennessee, 3-6, 6-4, 10-4.

Kentucky will now await the bids of the ITA Wildcard. Sophomore Ryotaro Matsumura already punched his ticket to New York for the National Indoor Championship with his victory in the Oracle ITA Masters Tournament. To be considered for an at-large selection in men's singles, a player must have reached at least the quarterfinals of an ITA Regional Championship.  Out of the pool of players who apply and qualify for at-large consideration, the top UTR-rated player will be the first at-large selected into the tournament.  The remaining at-large bids will be selected in order of ITA Preseason Rankings.

The National Indoor Championships will be held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. The tournament serves as the final major tournament of the fall season and will feature top players from across the country. To gain automatic entry, student-athletes must be champions from the USTA/ITA Division I Regional Championships, winners of the USTA/ITA National Small College Super Bowl or consolation champions or doubles finalists from the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships.