LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 14th-seeded Kentucky Wildcats are moving on to the second round of the NCAA Championship.
The Cats defeated Cleveland State 4-1 on Friday at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex, extending their record at home to a perfect 16-0 this season.
Kentucky moves on to a date with Arizona in the round of 32 on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.
Friday’s match got off to a slow start for the host team, as Cleveland State claimed the doubles point with wins on courts three and one—which included an upset of No. 6 César Bourgois and Gabriel Diallo.
Kentucky recovered swiftly with a sweep of singles play in straight sets, beginning with revenge for Alexandre LeBlanc in the form of a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kade Mindry on court six. Bourgois, ranked 85th, finished next with a 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Maxime Mareschal-Hay, while No. 33 Millen Hurrion set up a 3-1 lead for Kentucky by way of a 6-2, 6-2 win over Luke Phillips.
No. 1 Liam Draxl ended all remaining competition with a 7-5, 6-1 clincher over Nico Mostardi on court one. The victory was Draxl’s 20th of the season, as well as the Southeastern Conference Newcomer of the Year’s first in the postseason.
Arizona defeated Michigan 4-3 in the opening thriller of Friday’s first-round doubleheader.
