UK Tennis Star Liam Draxl Makes Lexington Challenger Doubles Final

Photo via UK Athletics

Kentucky tennis star Liam Draxl and his partner, Stefan Kozlov, will play in the finals of the Lexington Challenger tonight at UK. The duo received a wildcard into the event picked up 3 victories to setup tonight’s match against former TCU players Alex Rybakov and Reese Stadler. The match is scheduled to start not before 7:30 tonight.

Draxl, who is known more for his singles, lost in the first round to #1 Jenson Brooksby. Brooksby, 20, is ranked 129 in the world and considered to be one of the top American tennis prospects. Here is a great video from Payers and Players Podcast (Draxl in white shirt)

Liam Draxl in action at Lexington Challenger (vs Brooksby)@UKMensTennis pic.twitter.com/gQCtTLjNOt

— The Payers & Players Podcast (@PayersPlayers) July 28, 2021

Draxl reached the #1 ranking in college tennis during his sophomore season in 2021. He defeated a pair of #1 ranked players during that season and reached the semifinals of the NCAA singles tournament. The Canadian is known for his tenacity, emotion and ability to perform well on clutch points. He is very consistent, quick, and plays great defense.

Last season, Draxl posted a 23-5 record in singles while playing on the #1 court for UK, he was 15-8 in doubles, mostly playing at #2 doubles.

The singles semifinals feature a familiar name to tennis fans, Thanasi Kokkinakis. The 25-year old was a top prospect for Australia before suffering through years of injuries. He is now returning to form. His career highlights include making the 3^rd round at the French Open in 2015, making the 2^nd round in the Australian Open this year, and defeating Roger Federer in 2018. I’ll admit that the reason that I heard of Kokkinakis was because of the comments made by Nick Kyrgios about Stan Wawrinka’s girlfriend back in 2015. Talk about drama!

Past winners include John Isner (singles) and Lleyton Hewitt (doubles). Come on out today to watch the action!

Wildcat Liam Draxl and his partner Stefan Kozlov are on to the doubles final of the Lexington Challenger on the @ATPChallenger Tour.

Join us at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex at 7 p.m. ET, where 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲-𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 are now on sale at the gate for $15! pic.twitter.com/u2ps4mRGGj

— Kentucky Men's Tennis (@UKMensTennis) July 31, 2021