University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, January 8
Knoxville, TN
1 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
Charlotte
Men’s Tennis Central: #6 Tennessee vs. Charlotte
January 07, 2023 | Men's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The sixth-ranked Tennessee men's tennis team commences the program's 92nd season with a home contest against Charlotte Sunday at 1 p.m. ET inside Goodfriend Tennis Center.
Tennessee has reached the NCAA national semifinals in each of the past two seasons, tallying a 54-12 record in that span. With Tennessee returning seven members of its 2022 roster and over 77 percent of its dual singles wins from last season, the Vols look to chase greatness once again in 2023.
Live stats will be provided by UTsports.com and can be found here. Admission is free and complimentary tennis parking is located in SC40 at the Kingston Pike Building. Additional parking information can be found here.
SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Tennessee's season-opening dual with Charlotte marks the eighth meeting all-time between the two schools, with the Vols holding a 7-0 advantage in the series that dates to 2017. Tennessee swept Charlotte 7-0 in last year's Feb. 12 matchup.
The 49ers are coming off a 17-7 campaign in 2022 that saw them reach the Conference USA Championship final, falling to MTSU 4-3. Charlotte sophomore Vasco Prata—brother of Tennessee's Martim Prata—tallied the most dual singles wins for the Niners in 2022 with 17. He posted records of 12-5 at the No. 6 spot and 5-0 at No. 5.
Tennessee also opened the 2018 and 2019 seasons against Charlotte. A win Sunday would give Tennessee its 11 consecutive season-opening victory. Entering Sunday, the Vols have won 23 of their last 24 season openers.
VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#59 – Shunsuke Mitsui
#81 – Emile Hudd
#86 – Blaise Bicknell
Doubles
#25 – Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui
The ITA's individual rankings next update on Feb. 8.
EXPERIENCED DEPTH
Seven of Tennessee's nine roster spots are filled by either a graduate student or a senior, with five being graduate students along with a pair of seniors. Pat Harper, Emile Hudd and Martim Prata serve as the trio of Vols who return for their fifth season of eligibility, while incoming graduate transfers Boris Kozlov and Tomas Rodriguez each arrive on Rocky Top for their fifth collegiate season. Seniors Blaise Bicknell and Angel Diaz round out this list. Junior Johannus Monday and sophomore Shunsuke Mitsui are the lone exceptions in terms of being at least a fourth-year student-athlete.
LIVING IN THE RANKINGS
When the ITA ranked Tennessee as the No. 6 team in the nation ahead of the 2023 dual season Wednesday, it marked the 33rd consecutive ITA poll in which the Vols secured a top-10 designation. That's tied with TCU for the longest active streak in the nation.
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
Tennessee has eight countries— Jamaica, Ecuador, Australia, England, U.S., Japan, Portugal and Argentina—represented on its nine-man squad in 2023.
AUSSIE U
Graduate student Pat Harper, hailing from Brisbane, Australia, returns for his fifth and final year of eligibility on Rocky Top in 2023. The return of the 2021 NCAA Doubles National Champion marks the 36th consecutive year in which Tennessee has had an Aussie on its roster.
WOODRUFF AT THE HELM
Head coach Chris Woodruff enters his sixth season at the helm at his alma mater and his 21st year on staff at Tennessee. Woodruff has led the Vols to a 111-31 (.782) record over the past five seasons, surpassing the 100-win mark as a coach in 2022. Through five seasons, Woodruff's Vols are without a double-digit loss campaign and have reached consecutive NCAA semifinals for the first time since UT's three-year run to the semifinals or better in 2000-02.
QUICK HITTERS
• Tennessee enters 2023 first in the SEC with 29 home wins over the past two dual seasons. In that same span, the Vols are second in the SEC—behind only Florida's 14—with 12 road wins.
• Over the previous two dual seasons, Tennessee leads the SEC in wins at the No. 1 and 2 singles spots, with 81 such victories.
• Tennessee's veteran-laden group returns 77.2 percent (85/110) of its singles wins from the 2022 dual season.
UP NEXT
Tennessee concludes the season-opening back-to-back with a bout with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech in Knoxville on Monday, Jan. 9 at 4 p.m. ET.
For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee men's tennis on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
Tennessee has reached the NCAA national semifinals in each of the past two seasons, tallying a 54-12 record in that span. With Tennessee returning seven members of its 2022 roster and over 77 percent of its dual singles wins from last season, the Vols look to chase greatness once again in 2023.
Live stats will be provided by UTsports.com and can be found here. Admission is free and complimentary tennis parking is located in SC40 at the Kingston Pike Building. Additional parking information can be found here.
SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Tennessee's season-opening dual with Charlotte marks the eighth meeting all-time between the two schools, with the Vols holding a 7-0 advantage in the series that dates to 2017. Tennessee swept Charlotte 7-0 in last year's Feb. 12 matchup.
The 49ers are coming off a 17-7 campaign in 2022 that saw them reach the Conference USA Championship final, falling to MTSU 4-3. Charlotte sophomore Vasco Prata—brother of Tennessee's Martim Prata—tallied the most dual singles wins for the Niners in 2022 with 17. He posted records of 12-5 at the No. 6 spot and 5-0 at No. 5.
Tennessee also opened the 2018 and 2019 seasons against Charlotte. A win Sunday would give Tennessee its 11 consecutive season-opening victory. Entering Sunday, the Vols have won 23 of their last 24 season openers.
VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#59 – Shunsuke Mitsui
#81 – Emile Hudd
#86 – Blaise Bicknell
Doubles
#25 – Emile Hudd/Shunsuke Mitsui
The ITA's individual rankings next update on Feb. 8.
EXPERIENCED DEPTH
Seven of Tennessee's nine roster spots are filled by either a graduate student or a senior, with five being graduate students along with a pair of seniors. Pat Harper, Emile Hudd and Martim Prata serve as the trio of Vols who return for their fifth season of eligibility, while incoming graduate transfers Boris Kozlov and Tomas Rodriguez each arrive on Rocky Top for their fifth collegiate season. Seniors Blaise Bicknell and Angel Diaz round out this list. Junior Johannus Monday and sophomore Shunsuke Mitsui are the lone exceptions in terms of being at least a fourth-year student-athlete.
LIVING IN THE RANKINGS
When the ITA ranked Tennessee as the No. 6 team in the nation ahead of the 2023 dual season Wednesday, it marked the 33rd consecutive ITA poll in which the Vols secured a top-10 designation. That's tied with TCU for the longest active streak in the nation.
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
Tennessee has eight countries— Jamaica, Ecuador, Australia, England, U.S., Japan, Portugal and Argentina—represented on its nine-man squad in 2023.
AUSSIE U
Graduate student Pat Harper, hailing from Brisbane, Australia, returns for his fifth and final year of eligibility on Rocky Top in 2023. The return of the 2021 NCAA Doubles National Champion marks the 36th consecutive year in which Tennessee has had an Aussie on its roster.
WOODRUFF AT THE HELM
Head coach Chris Woodruff enters his sixth season at the helm at his alma mater and his 21st year on staff at Tennessee. Woodruff has led the Vols to a 111-31 (.782) record over the past five seasons, surpassing the 100-win mark as a coach in 2022. Through five seasons, Woodruff's Vols are without a double-digit loss campaign and have reached consecutive NCAA semifinals for the first time since UT's three-year run to the semifinals or better in 2000-02.
QUICK HITTERS
• Tennessee enters 2023 first in the SEC with 29 home wins over the past two dual seasons. In that same span, the Vols are second in the SEC—behind only Florida's 14—with 12 road wins.
• Over the previous two dual seasons, Tennessee leads the SEC in wins at the No. 1 and 2 singles spots, with 81 such victories.
• Tennessee's veteran-laden group returns 77.2 percent (85/110) of its singles wins from the 2022 dual season.
UP NEXT
Tennessee concludes the season-opening back-to-back with a bout with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech in Knoxville on Monday, Jan. 9 at 4 p.m. ET.
For the most up-to-date information about the program, follow Tennessee men's tennis on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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