Kentucky women’s tennis (8-3, 0-2 SEC) dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to No. 28 Alabama (10-0, 2-0 SEC) on the road.
The Wildcats opened the afternoon with strong doubles play, claiming the early advantage behind steady performances across the courts.
Ellie Myers and Marina Fuduric set the tone for Kentucky, rolling to a commanding 6-1 victory over Amina Salibayeva and Addison Bowman.
Julia Zhu and Zoe Hammond were unable to hold off Kristina Paskausakas and Karla Bartel, falling 6-2 to even the doubles competition.
With the point hanging in the balance, Ascunion Jadue and Reese Sager delivered in a tiebreaker thriller, outlasting Klara Milicevic and Maria Andrienko 7-6 to secure the doubles point and give Kentucky a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
Hammond quickly extended the Wildcats’ momentum in singles, bouncing back from her doubles loss with a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory over Milicevic.
Alabama responded in kind, as Jadue dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision to Bartel to put Alabama on the board.
Zhu restored Kentucky’s cushion with an impressive performance against Paskausakas. After edging out a tight opening set 7-6, Zhu surged through the remainder of the match, winning seven of the final eight games to take the second set 6-1 and give Kentucky a 3-1 advantage.
With the upset within reach, Alabama mounted its comeback.
Donna Le Roux opened her match strongly with a 7-5 first-set win, but Salibayeva responded with authority, capturing the final two sets 6-2 and 6-0 to trim Kentucky’s lead to 3-2.
Sager fought to keep the Wildcats in control after dropping her first set 6-2 to Andrienko. She rebounded to claim the second set 6-4, but Andrienko regained control in the decider, securing a 6-2 third-set victory to even the overall score at 3-3.
The duel ultimately came down to Elena Molla on the deciding court. Molla battled through a tightly contested opening set but fell in a tiebreak 7-6 before responding with a 6-3 second-set win to force a third.
With the match on the line, Bowman pulled away late, taking the final set 6-2 to clinch the 4-3 win for Alabama.
The loss drops Kentucky to 0-2 in SEC play as conference competition intensifies.
The Wildcats will look to rebound quickly as they travel to Starkville to face Mississippi State at the Pitt Tennis Center on Feb. 28. The match is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET.
