No. 23 Kentucky men’s tennis (3-2, 0-0 SEC) went 0-2 at the ITA Kickoff Weekend after losses to Florida and No. 25 Illinois.

Despite the losses, Eli Stephenson impressed in both matches.

In the Cats’ first match against Florida, Stephenson won a doubles match with Jack Loutit, defeating Hunter Jefferson and Tannapatt Nirundorn 6-3.

In the same match, Stephenson recorded his seventh-ranked win of the 2025-26 season with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jefferson.

However, Kentucky was unable to find much success outside of Stephenson, and Florida capitalized.

The doubles point came down to Court 3, where Nicholas Arseneault and Jaden Weekes fell in an extended tiebreaker.

The Cats entered singles play tied 2-2 with Florida, but the Gators won the final two points with victories over Loutit and Matt Rankin.

Stephenson was a bright spot again in Kentucky’s second match of the weekend against Illinois, earning a 6-4, 6-1 win over Adam Jilly.

The victory improved his dual-match record to 4-0.

Kentucky earned the doubles point against Illinois with a win by Arseneault and Weekes on Court 2, followed by a victory from Martin Breysach and Antoine Ghibaudo on Court 1.

However, the Cats were unable to maintain the lead in singles play despite Stephenson’s efforts.

Illinois’ Will Mroz tied the match with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Weekes, followed by a victory from Kenta Miyoshi over Ghibaudo to give the Illini the lead.

Gabriel Debru clinched the match for Illinois, handing Arseneault his first loss of the dual season. Arseneault led in the second set but was unable to close it out, losing in the final frame.

Despite the two losses, the Cats have reason for optimism behind Stephenson, who earned his eighth-ranked win of the 2025-26 season and improved his overall record to 15-4.

Kentucky returns to action this Friday, Feb. 6, hosting a doubleheader against Northern Kentucky. The matchups will take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. EST inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.