The match went down the last active court, but Kentucky fell to South Carolina, 4-3, on Sunday night at the Carolina Tennis Center. The match began at 1 p.m., and was delayed for two hours with two courts left to finish. Kentucky falls to 12-8 and 3-4 in the Southeastern Conference while SC improves to 16-4 and 5-2 in league play.
South Carolina grabbed an early lead with the doubles point. The No. 77 duo of Will Bushamuka and Nils Ellefsen fell to the No. 47 duo of Yancy Dennis and Harrison O’Keefe, 6-1. SC clinched the doubles point when Ryo Matsumura and Trey Yates dropped to Gabriel Friedrich and Andrew Schafer, 6-1. No. 27 Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallart were locked in a 3-3 battle with Alex Fennell and Sam Swank when doubles play ended.
South Carolina took a 2-0 advantage when No. 24 Matsumura fell to No. 58 Gabriel Friedrich, 6-0, 6-2 in the first singles match of the season. Matsumura falls to 11-5 this season.
Wallart put the Cats on the board and cut the SC advantage to 2-1 when he took down Yancy Dennis, 6-2, 6-2. Wallart improved to 7-6 this season and is 2-0 as the No. 4 singles player this season.
The Gamecocks took a 3-1 lead as Jake Stefanik fell to Paul Jubb 6-2, 6-4.
Yates answered back and cut the South Carolina advantage, 3-2. He beat Alex Fennell, 6-4, 6-2 and improved to 8-6 this season.
A significant rain delay forced both teams off the court with the No. 1 and No. 3 singles matches yet to be decided. Play resumed for Bushamuka and Ellefsen at 5:50 p.m.
Ellefsen tied the match at 3-3 after the rain delay with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Yancy Dennis. South Carolina clinched the win when No. 88 Harrison O’Keefe beat No. 17 Bushamuka, 7-6, 6-1, 2-6.
Kentucky returns to action on Thursday, March 30 at Vanderbilt at 5 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter or Kentucky Men’s Tennis Team on Facebook.
South Carolina vs. Kentucky
South Carolina 4, Kentucky 3
Singles Competition
1. Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. William Bushamuka (UK) 7-6 , 1-6 , 6-2
2. Gabriel Friedrich (SC) def. Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) 6-0 , 6-2
3. Nils Ellefsen (UK) def. Andrew Schafer (SC) 4-6 , 6-2 , 6-3
4. Enzo Wallart (UK) def. Yancy Dennis (SC) 6-2 , 6-2
5. Trey Yates (UK) def. Alex Fennell (SC) 6-4 , 6-2
6. Pual Jubb (SC) def. Jake Stefanik (UK) 6-2 , 6-4
Doubles Competition
1. Yancy Dennis and Harrison O’Keefe (SC) def. William Bushamuka and Nils Ellefsen (UK), 6-1
2. Enzo Wallart and Jake Stefanik (UK) vs. Alex Fennell and Sam Swank (SC) (In Progress) 3-3
3. Gabriel Friedrich and Andrew Schafer def. Ryotaro Matsumura and Trey Yates (UK), 6-1
‑ GO CATS –
For more information contact:
Mike Scholze