The Arizona men's tennis team opens their fall exhibition play in the inaugural Napa Valley Fall Classic in California this weekend against the likes of Illinois, Georgia and California.

Wildcat head coach Bill Wright said the competition will be stiff with the Fighting Illini and the Bulldogs being among the top four teams in the nation.

UA features four returning players from last year's 9-12 team, led by Junior Whi Kim and Senior Tom Lloyd.

Wright said he believes Kim has made significant improvement over the summer.

"Whi has worked hard and did well in pro events," Wright said. "He is now ranked 62 in the country."

Sophomore Paul Warkentin, a transfer from Ohio State, and Dan Andrus, a freshman from San Diego, make up the two new faces on the Arizona roster. One additional player is expected in January.

Warkentin is a versatile player who had 26 wins last season for the Buckeyes. He played on a nationally-ranked doubles team and had huge wins over the fourth ö and sixth-ranked teams in the nation.

Also making the trip to California this weekend are junior Carl Hagman and sophomore Colin O'Grady

Wright said he is optimistic for the upcoming year.

"We had two bad matches last year, ASU and Rice, and they hurt us badly," Wright said. "We should be much improved this year."

Next up for Arizona is the ITA All-American, in Chattanooga, Tenn., on November 4-13. Four Wildcats are scheduled to make the trip.

After concluding their four fall tournaments, the Wildcats' regular season home schedule begins on Jan. 25 against Santa Clara.