Men’s Tennis Central: #13 Tennessee at MTSU

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The No. 13 Tennessee men's tennis team is set to hit the road for the first time this season, heading west for an in-state battle with MTSU on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET at the Adams Tennis Complex.

Thursday will mark the third-straight match against an in-state opponent to open the season for UT (2-0). Live stats for Thursday's matchup are available for fans here.

LAST TIME OUT
The Vols opened the season with a pair of 7-0 victories over Tennessee Tech and Belmont. The Big Orange dominated on the day and started the season with a strong showcase, allowing only three singles matches to reach a third set.

SCOUTING MTSU
The Blue Raiders are coming off an impressive 21-10 campaign in 2023-24, which saw a Conference USA Championship victory over Liberty and an NCAA Second Round appearance. Their squad features a mix of young talent and experienced leaders, with four upperclassmen and four underclassmen on their roster.

Thursday will mark the dual season opener for MTSU, but players on both teams have already faced off against each other during the fall slate. UT collected two doubles victories and won four singles matches against the Blue Raiders during the Blue Raider Invite back in September.

VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#18 – Shunsuke Mitsui
#34 – Alex Kotzen
#56 – Alejandro Moreno

Doubles
#21 – Alejandro Moreno/Alex Kotzen
#59 – Alan Jesudason/Shunsuke Mitsui

BLUE RAIDERS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#98 – Karim Al-Amin

Doubles
#45 – Ondrej Horak/Karim Al-Amin

NEWCOMERS SHINE IN SPRING DEBUTS
Ian Cruz, Jose Garcia, Alan Jesudason and Jan Kobierski were the four Vols who saw their first spring action for UT in Saturday's doubleheader. The quartet went undefeated on the day, winning every singles and doubles match they competed in.

SHUN IN THE TOP 10
After earning two singles victories against Tennessee Tech and Belmont, senior Shunsuke Mitsui brought his career singles win total to 109. That number now sits at 10th in program history, surpassing Boris Conkic who had 108 career wins.

UP NEXT
Following Thursday's tilt against the Blue Raiders, the Big Orange will travel to Winston-Salem to take on No. 4 Wake Forest. That matchup will occur on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ian Cruz

Jose Garcia

Alan Jesudason

Jan Kobierski

Alex Kotzen

Shunsuke Mitsui

Alejandro Moreno

University of Tennessee Athletics