Kentucky men’s tennis opened up conference play with a 2-0 sweep over the weekend, getting victories over Vanderbilt and No.18 Alabama.
On Friday, March 1, No. 7 the team traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to begin its conference schedule against the Commodores.
The Wildcats started the weekend off with a 6-1 victory, improving to 10-2 on the season.
Vanderbilt got off to a sneaky start, with Kentucky’s Eli Stephenson and Jaden Weekes trailing early, down 3-1 in their doubles match.
Eventually, Stephenson and Weekes fell 6-3, but the loss was quickly followed by wins from No. 23 Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer, as well as Jack Loutit and Matt Rankin.
Kentucky earned the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead.
To begin singles play, Lapadat dominated his opponent with a 6-2, 6-3 win in straight sets to give Kentucky a 2-0 lead. Before entering the match, Lapadat had the lowest singles record on the team.
Charlelie Cosnet continued his undefeated singles streak, improving to 9-0 on the season and earning another point for the visiting Wildcats.
The Commodores responded to the 3-0 Kentucky lead by defeating No. 24 Taha Baadi in straight sets. The senior captain forced a tiebreaker, but couldn’t hold on for any longer.
The Wildcats still held a 3-1 lead.
After falling 6-2 in his first set, Loutit would go on to clinch the match after nearly sweeping his opponent in both the second and third sets.
Stephenson and Weekes would continue to play and ultimately win their matches as well, securing Kentucky’s first SEC win.
The Cats returned home on Sunday, March 3, where they faced No. 18 Alabama – a team who beat them previously this season in ITA Kickoff Weekend and knocked them out of indoor nationals.
Kentucky won 5-2, marking a successful SEC home opener.
Loutit and Rankin started off right, winning 6-1 and giving Kentucky an early edge.
This duo looks promising for the future, winning all of their doubles matches since they started playing together.
Given Kentucky’s early advantage, No. 23 Lapadat and Mercer snuck past their opponents, beating them 6-3 to secure the doubles point.
Leading into singles play, sophomore Weekes defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-1 in straight sets, improving to 6-3 on the season and giving Kentucky a 2-0 lead.
No. 24 Baadi defeated No. 30 Filipino Planinsek, achieving his fifth ranked win of the season. Shortly after, Loutit clinched the match for the Wildcats.
Kentucky, having clinched the 4-0 victory, would improve to 11-2 on the season and begin SEC play with a 2-0 record.
Even though the win has been secured, the remaining Wildcats continued play.
Cosnet fell short, losing 1-6, 4-6. This was his first loss of the season, moving him to a 9-1 personal record.
Stepheson, the impressive freshmen, who now holds a ten match win streak, came out ready to win and ultimately beat his opponent 6-3, 7-5.
Stephenson humbly shared how appreciative he is to be playing with his teammates and how his hard work is paying off.
“I didn’t expect to go undefeated,” Stephenson said. “I expected to play every match as hard as I could. As it goes for how many matches I win, I’m just grateful to be playing and I’m just trying to help my team as much as possible. I’m not really focused on any streak.”
Lapadat would be the only remaining Wildcat, where he would look to win his first ranked singles match of the year.
However, with Kentucky having already secured the victory, the Wildcats and the Crimson Tide decided to make the third set a tie breaker that saw Lapadat lose, making the final score 5-2.
“It’s kind of tough losing today,” Lapadat said. “I’m not a huge fan of playing those out, but the match is over.”
Despite the frustration, the senior went on to compliment the team.
”Today shows our improvement and how we responded really well from the last loss against Bama,” Lapadat said. “It’s awesome.”
The Wildcats will return to action on Friday, March 9, at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex to take on the Florida Gators. Kentucky will look to improve its conference record to 3-0. Doubles are estimated to begin at 5 p.m. ET.
