Top 20 ranking sets stage for senior

By Michael Kraus

Patrick Patterson, Mike Hartline, and Micah Johnson are usually the names on the tongues of Cats’ fans all around. But take a closer look and you can find a UK athlete who may end up with more accomplishments than all three.

Senior Bruno Agostinelli, from Niagra Falls, Canada, is currently sitting 19th on the NCAA men’s tennis singles standings. In addition to the high ranking, Agostinelli is also a preseason All- American selection.

While Agostonelli, who was once ranked 15th internationally, has had success so far in his career at UK, including knocking off the No. 1 ranked player last year, Agostonelli’s breakout season could be on the horizon. In the preseason alone, Agostonelli jumped ahead 40 spots in the college ranking.

“The ultimate goal is to go out there and try to win the NCAA tournament,” said Agostinelli.

Agostinelli started off the preseason with a runner-up finish in the Southern Collegiates in Athens, Ga. He made it all the way to the finals before being defeated by Enrique Olivares of Tennessee State University (6-3, 6-7, 6-1).

Aside from being placed highly in the men’s individual ranking, Agostinelli has also impressed with his outstanding doubles play. Back with his doubles partner from last year, sophomore Brad Cox, Agostinelli is poised to succeed in that area as well.

Agostinelli and Cox are ranked 15th nationally in NCAA men’s doubles standings. The UK duo put that ranking to the test last weekend when they defeated Tennessee State University (8-5) at the Southern Collegiates.

“It was great for me and Brad to get a tournament win under our belt,” said Agostinelli.

Agostinelli and Cox first played together last October at the International Tennis Association Southeast Regional held at UK. They made it all the way to the semifinals but were eliminated by a team from the University of Miami.

Cox believes their success comes from their habit of keeping each other positive. Although the points and wins may come mutually, Cox looks up to Agostonelli as a motivator. “He’s always pushing me,” said Cox.

“If we see one another slacking we always get on each other’s case,” Agostinelli said.

UK head coach Emery believes there are areas Agostinelli could improve on, such as scoring more points closer to the net and off serves. Although Agostinelli is not always at his best, Emery still has the utmost confidence in him.

“Technically he is just very, very sound everywhere in his game. He’s like a coach’s dream,” Emery said.