Kentucky men’s tennis (8-3, 1-0 SEC) delivered a commanding performance against their rival, Tennessee (6-5, 0-1 SEC), defeating the Vols 5-2.
The Wildcats brought the energy in doubles play.
Jaden Weekes and Nicolas Arseneault came out fast out of the gate, earning a 6-4 victory over Shion Itsuaki and Ethan Muza.
Martin Breysach and Cherlelie Cosnet followed them up with a 6-1 win of their own, taking down Jose Garcia and Alejandro Moreno, clinching the doubles point for Kentucky.
The No. 23 duo of Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson had their match end while the score was at 5-3, as the doubles point was already secured for Kentucky.
This traction carried straight into singles action as well, where the Wildcats were just as strong on their feet. Stephenson led the charge with a comeback win after losing the first set 6-3, but would go on to win the next two sets 6-1 and 7-6.
Charlie Conset started his match off strong and never looked back, winning the first set by a score of 6-4 and then the second set 7-6.
Tennessee would then manage to get back into the point column with a three-set win coming from Jose Garcia over the ranked Jack Loutit. Garcia lost the first set, but battled back to win the next two sets, which would lead Garcia to take the match and the point for Tennessee.
With Kentucky being up 3-1 in the match, this match between Nicolas Arsenault and Alejandro Moreno had pretty much everything you could’ve asked for in a match between two college rivals, in a chance to win the game for Kentucky.
This match had the expected and the unexpected all in one. It had emotions, great tennis, and even an ejection. Arsenault came out firing with a convincing 6-0 first-set win.
Moreno came back with a 7-6 (9-7) win in the second set in one of the more thrilling sets of the day.
Emotions were running high during the third set. A Tennessee fan ended up getting ejected midway through the third and final set, and Arsenault carried these emotions to win that final set and give Kentucky the win over Tennessee.
“Energy is so big in college,” Arsenault said. “I mean, it gets in the guy’s head, and if we keep bringing the energy and the intensity, it will help us in the future. Yeah, I think the energy in doubles is huge. It’s only one set to six and just to be super intense from the first point.”
WIth the win, Kentucky has opened conference play 1-0 and improved to 8-3 overall in their young season.
“Born to start well and know that Tennessee is one of the best programs in the country,” Kauffmann said. “So we knew it was going to be tough, but we have to protect our home.”
Kentucky knows how important it is to start fast and grab the all-important doubles point, which has helped them in recent matches.
“Just always good to put one on the board, and after that, we need to split the singles. Hopefully, we can carry the momentum, but the great teams will have to lose some doubles and come back, but it helps us for sure,” Kauffmann said.
The Wildcats will be back in action on Monday, Feb. 23, at home at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex against No. 16 Texas A&M at 2 p.m.
