Kentucky standout Antoine Ghibaudo delivered a strong performance at the ATP Columbus Challenger, and Mikael Arseneault continued his freshman debut on the ITF circuit, playing in the M15 Fayetteville event.
Ghibaudo and Arseneault both had to claw their way into the two tournaments.
Ghibaudo won his qualifying matches against Ilija Palavestra 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, and Erik Arutiunian 6-1, 6-3.
Building on his qualifying success, Ghibaudo continued his strong performance heading into the main draw, taking down Jack Anthrop in the round of 32 3-6, 6-1, 7-6.
He looked to keep his momentum going, but could not get past Martin Damm, falling 6-3, 6-4 in the round of 16.
Meanwhile, Arseneault started off hot, winning his first qualifying match against Eric Padgham 6-3, 6-1, but was upset by Sebastian Eriksson 6-2, 6-3 in his second, resulting in elimination from the tournament.
Although Ghibaudo and Arseneault were unable to pick up tournament wins, their performances are promising as the upcoming season for the Wildcats approaches.
Ghibaudo, the star player for this year’s Kentucky team, looks to only improve from his stellar freshman season, when he was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and first-team All-SEC.
Ghibaudo is the only player in Kentucky men’s tennis history to be named to both teams as a freshman.
Ghibaudo finished his freshman season with an 11-5 singles record (11-5 dual) and a 12-8 doubles record (12-8 dual).
Additionally, he ranked No. 67 in preseason ITA singles rankings and No. 69, alongside Charlelie Cosnet, in preseason ITA doubles rankings.
Arseneault and his twin brother, Nicolas Arseneault, committed to the team last November as the top two-ranked players in Canada, becoming the program’s first members of the 2025 recruiting class.
Mikael currently ranks No. 83 by ITF in singles, and Nicolas is currently ranked No. 697, but started the year ranked No. 42.
The twins have yet to play in matches outside of Mikael’s solo play in the M15.
The Wildcats will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 20, competing in the ITA All-American Championships.
The tournament will take place at the Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and will run all day. The matches can be streamed live on the official ITA website.
