Cards Head to Georgia for ITA Kickoff Weekend

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's tennis team will travel to Athens, Ga. for the ITA Kickoff weekend from Jan. 29-30. The Cards (4-0) will take on Miami (Fl) (2-0) Sunday and await the results of No. 15 Georgia (0-2) and LSU (0-0) for Monday's contest.

ITA Kickoff weekend spans from Jan. 27-30 around the country as 60 of the top men's and women's tennis teams compete across 30 different host locations. The winner of each competition advances to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Coverage of the ITA Kickoff Weekend may be found here.

The Cardinals went 1-1 in the event last season, falling to No. 20 UCF on the opening day before sweeping Tulane 4-0 in the consolation match.

Louisville is a perfect 4-0 through the beginning of the 2023 season. Last time out, the Cardinals swept No. 24 Northwestern and EKU in a doubleheader at the Bass-Rudd tennis Sunday, Jan. 22. The win over the Wildcats marked the first sweep against a ranked opponent since March 29, 2019, against Miami at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center.

In their season-opening doubleheader on Thursday, Jan. 18, UofL defeated UIC 7-0 and Bellarmine 6-1 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. Freshmen André Steinbach and Will Mayew both picked up their first colligate dual match victories.

The Cards begin the spring season with four players ranked inside the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) top-125 singles rankings. Sophomore Natan Rodrigues leads the way at No. 25, marking the first top 25 showing by a Cardinal since 2014-15. Graduate student Fabien Salle stands at No. 36, while senior Etienne Donnet is slotted at No. 42. Senior Matthew Fung rounded out the ranked Cardinals at No. 61.

Louisville also had two pairs in the ITA top 60 doubles rankings. Salle and Rodrigues launched into the top 10 at No. 9 after appearing at No. 48 in the preseason polls. David Mizrahi and Will Mayew secured the No. 58 spot after a strong showing in the fall season.

The Cardinals posted a 19-9 overall record in the 2021-22 season while finishing 9-3 in ACC play. Louisville was able to reach its first ACC semifinal since joining the conference in 2014-2015 and made the program's 13th NCAA tournament appearance.

The Cards return six letter winners from a season ago, including Donnet who was an All-ACC first-team selection playing a majority of the season at the No. 1 spot.

Scouting the Opponents
Miami, Jan. 22 - 12 p.m.
Series Record: Tied 4-4
Last Meeting: March 18, 2022 - Louisville defeated Miami 4-2 at the Bass-Rudd Tenis Center.
About the Hurricanes: Miami opened the 2023 season with a pair of sweeps over Troy and Binghamton. Last season, the Hurricanes tallied a 17-10 overall record and a 5-7 record in ACC play. The Canes advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament where they fell to No. 2 Florida 4-0. Miami returns four letter winners from a year ago, including Dan Martin, who is slotted at No. 73 in the ITA singles rankings.

#15 Georgia, Jan. 30 - 11 a.m. / 2:30 p.m.
Series Record: Georgia leads 0-5
Last Meeting: March 23, 2011 - Georgia defeated Louisville 3-4 in Athens, Ga.
About the Bulldogs: Georgia entered the spring season ranked No. 7 in the ITA team rankings on Jan. 4. The Bulldogs have since dropped to No. 15 following an 0-2 start to the season. Georgia fell to Florida State 2-5 and was edged by Texas 3-4. Last season, Georgia finished with an 18-8 overall record and a 9-3 record in SEC play. The Bulldogs advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, defeating Alabama State 4-0, then falling to Florida State 3-4. Georgia's Ethan Quinn is slotted at No.1 in the ITA preseason singles rankings. Overall, the Bulldogs have five players in the top 125 singles rankings and two duos in the top 60 doubles rankings.

LSU, Jan. 30 - 11 a.m. / 2:30 p.m.
Series Record: Louisville leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Jan. 29, 2010 - Louisville defeated LSU 4-2 in Tallahassee, Fla.
About the Tigers: LSU finished the 2022 season with a 16-12 overall record and a 4-8 record in SEC play. The Tigers defeated SMU in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season, upsetting No. 22 SMU 4-3. LSU was swept in the second round by No. 12 Texas. Ronnie Hohmann advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA singles championships. Hohmann entered the season ranked at No. 18 in the ITA singles rankings. The Tigers' Stefan Latinovic and Nick Watson are slotted at No. 20 in the ITA doubles rankings.

Up Next
Louisville returns home to take on instate rival No. 5 Kentucky at 4 p.m. on Feb. 10 at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center. The match will mark the first of an eight-out-of-nine-match home stretch for the Cardinals.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Etienne Donnet

Matthew Fung

Will Mayew

Natan Rodrigues

Fabien Salle

University of Louisville Athletics