No. 10 Kentucky men’s tennis took down Illinois 4-3 in a back-and-forth matchup to advance to 3-0 on the season.
The Wildcats traveled to Champaign, Illinois, for their first taste of road action of the season.
In doubles play, Matt Rankin and Taha Baadi dropped first in a 6-1 loss, but JJ Mercer and Joshua Lapadat answered to get Kentucky back on track, winning 6-4 on court one.
It then came down to Eli Stephenson and Jaden Weekes, who pressed Illinois to a tiebreaker.
They ultimately fell short 10-8, losing 7-6 in the last doubles match to give the Fighting Illini the doubles point and an edge heading into singles play.
Charlelie Cosnet finished first in singles, getting UK on the board with 6-3, 6-2 wins in straight sets.
Illinois quickly answered with 6-3, 6-2 wins over Lapadat to make the score 2-1.
Kentucky wouldn’t go away, however, as Rankin handled business, winning 6-4, 6-1 with his dominant second set firing up the team as it cheered on his remaining teammates.
Jack Loutit would soon fall 6-4, 6-4 to give Illinois a 3-2 lead and, with the other two matches neck-and-neck, the odds were not favoring the Wildcats.
After dropping the first set 6-4, the freshman Stephenson flipped the switch and won set two and three 6-3 with the Wildcats roaring and congratulating him as they now had a chance to win in enemy territory.
With it all tied up, game point lay in the hands of the fifth-year senior Baadi, who’s clutch play in last year’s SEC Tournament built him for moments like the one he was faced with.
Baadi had already won the first set 6-2, but Illinois wasn’t going down without a fight as Kenta Miyoshi and Baadi traded blows, leading to an intense tie breaker.
Miyoshi took the advantage, leaving set three open for the winner.
Baadi dominated set three, breezing past Miyoshi 6-3 to give UK a comeback win on the road.
The Kentucky veteran punched his fist, yelling with his coach and his fellow teammates applauding him.
Baadi then entered the locker room, getting covered by water and pushed around by his fellow teammates in the process for the effort.
Saturday’s match marked the Wildcats’ second consecutive win over Illinois, having previously defeated it 4-1 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington last season.
Kentucky’s theme of intense leadership and explosive freshman play continued as it prepared to travel back home.
The Wildcats will return to action on Friday, Jan. 26, from the Boone Tennis Complex against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Doubles play is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
