Men’s Tennis Adds Pair, One for Spring, One for Fall

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Chris Russell, head men’s tennis coach, has picked up a pair of signings for the Lobo men’s tennis team, both of whom should have major impacts on future fortunes. Daniil Kukhniuk of Bellevue, Washington and Nikoley Sysoev of Russia have both signed to join to Lobo Tennis program.

Kukhniuk is currently rated as the No. 5 recruit out of the state of Washington, and he will join UNM at the semester break and be eligible to play in UNM’s spring season as the Lobos attempt a three-peat as Mountain West champions. Sysoev is currently rated as the No. 32 recruit overall for 2022, and No. 7 out of the state of Florida.  He will join UNM in August of 2022.

Both players add to an already deep a talented team, and Russell is excited about having both in the fold.

“Daniil has been coached by some wonderful coaches and very good people,” said Russell. “His best tennis is ahead of him, and combined with his ambitious vision, we are very excited to welcome him to the Lobo Tennis Family.”

As for Sysoev, he has both the ambition and pedigree to succeed. Said Russell, “Nikolay is extremely passionate about pursuing his tennis ambitions. As a result, he has recently experienced some strong results against proven current and former college players. He is in an environment that is striving for excellence, and we can’t wait his arrival to campus.”

Kukhniuk originally hails from Belarus and Sysoev, from Russia, is coached by his stepfather, Andrei Cherkasov, who was formerly ranked No. 13 in the world.