Kentucky sophomore Jack Loutit is gearing up for a marquee moment in his tennis career as he begins his campaign at the 2024-25 NCAA Men’s Singles Championship. Loutit, ranked No. 77 nationally in the ITA fall singles rankings, will face Illinois’ No. 42 Kenta Miyoshi in the Round of 64 on Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET. The match, hosted at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas, marks the start of a new era for the tournament, now part of a two-year NCAA pilot program shifting individual championships to the fall while keeping team competition in the spring.
Loutit earned his place in the prestigious event after a standout performance at the ITA South Sectional earlier this month. The New Zealand native advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over Christophe Clement of Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt’s Hugo Coquelin before clinching his ticket in a playoff victory against LSU’s Julien Penzlin. His 3-3 singles record this fall includes competition at the ITA All-American Championships and a historic first Davis Cup rubber win for New Zealand in September.
As a freshman, Loutit’s impressive 27-9 singles record landed him a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. His contributions on Court Five helped propel Kentucky to a third consecutive NCAA Quarterfinal and an SEC Regular Season/Championship double. Loutit also delivered clutch performances in 4-3 victories against Tennessee and Illinois, further solidifying his reputation as a rising star.
His first-round opponent, Miyoshi, enters the tournament following a runner-up finish at the ITA Midwest Regional Championship. With a 2-2 record against Wildcat opponents, Miyoshi has proven to be a formidable competitor. Notably, he defeated Kentucky’s Charlelie Cosnet earlier this season at the ITA All-American Championships but fell to Taha Baadi and Jaden Weekes in previous matchups.
Kentucky has a storied legacy in the NCAA Singles Championship, with Loutit becoming the program’s 56th qualifier and extending a streak of five consecutive seasons with a Wildcat in the tournament. While past standouts like Carlos Drada, Jesse Witten, and Eric Quigley have reached the final, Kentucky is still chasing its first singles title.
The NCAA Individual Championships run from November 19-24, featuring men’s and women’s singles and doubles. Cracked Racquets will provide live whip-around coverage on ESPN+, with individual court streams available via PlaySight. The winner of the Loutit-Miyoshi matchup will face either No. 7 seed Oliver Tarvet of San Diego or Cornell’s Radu Papoe on Wednesday.
As Loutit steps onto the court, he not only carries the hopes of Big Blue Nation but also continues Kentucky’s proud tradition of excellence on the national stage.
