PREVIEW: Men's Tennis set for Super Regionals vs. Harvard

LEXINGTON, Ky. — It's NCAA Tournament time for the fifth-seeded Kentucky men's tennis team, and the Wildcats are on a roll.

The Cats, who finished the regular season undefeated in Southeastern Conference play (26-2 overall) enter Saturday's matchup against Harvard on a 19-match winning streak. Still, their eyes are set on bigger goals, including another National Championship appearance.

Kentucky hosts Harvard in the super regional round, with competition slated to begin Saturday at 2 p.m. on campus, at the Hilary J. Boone Center in Lexington.

The Wildcats are hoping to reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the seventh time in program history and for the third-consecutive year. The 2024 quarterfinals, semifinals and team championship will be held at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla, May 16-25.

In order to get there, the team has put out the call to Big Blue Nation to "pack the Boone," as the program looks to break the attendance record set during last year's tournament run.

It'll be a rematch between the Wildcats and the Crimson, as UK also hosted Harvard for a regular-season matchup during the regular season. There, Kentucky earned the win, 5-2.

Kentucky took the doubles point back in February with JJ Mercer and Joshua Lapadat defeating Harvard’s Cooper Williams and Daniel Milavsky, 6-4, to clinch.

In the singles slot, Taha Baadi took down Williams in straight sets, Lapadat advanced over Henry von der Schulenberg in two quick sets, Charlelie Cosnet secured a singles victory over Melchior Delloye in straight sets and freshman Eli Stephenson rose above Harvard’s Masato Perera at a final score of 7-6(6), 6-2.

Kentucky now holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series vs. Harvard and has won the last three battles.

Kentucky advanced to the round of 16 after defeating DePaul and Illinois a week ago in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament; Harvard is in the Sweet 16 following victories over Boston University and No. 22 Michigan State.

Nathan’s Taqueria truck will be available at the Boone for fans to purchase before and during the match. Fans unable to attend can follow along with live stats and streaming. Cracked Racquets will also have CrossCourt coverage of the Super Regional round on their YouTube channel.

Ticket Information

Tickets are available for purchase NOW to the general public through fevo-enterprise.com/group/2024NCAAMTENNIS and the UK Ticket Office.

Tickets are $15, while youth ages 3-18 and seniors 65+ will have a discounted price at $10. Children ages 2 and under qualify for free admission. Additionally, all seating is general admission and Friday’s ticket is good for both matches. All tickets must be purchased in advance using the links provided.

Full-time University of Kentucky students are granted free admission by presenting their valid UK student ID at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on match day with the free ticket provided by UKAD Marketing. Faculty/Staff ID’s, K Fund Sports Passes, and Junior Wildcat Club Passes WILL NOT be admitted for free and will need to purchase tickets via the public link.

Overall, fans are encouraged to purchase in advance to try and avoid long lines that may occur on the day of the matches.

All pre-purchased tickets will be available via mobile delivery. Ticket purchasers will be able to access their tickets electronically through My UK Account or the UK Athletics App after purchase using the email they purchased tickets with. Additional mobile ticket information may be found online at UKAthletics.com/mobiletickets.

Parking will be available in the lot directly across from the tennis facility, in the E-lot and C-16 lot near the UK Track Complex. Additional parking may be found in the green lot of Kroger Field. PS7 is pay-to-park on Friday. Saturday it will be open to public parking. Gates will open 1 hour prior to the first match each day at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.

BBN TONIGHT