The No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis team fell just short in its first match of conference play against No. 6 South Carolina. Despite a valiant effort from the Wildcats, they were clipped 4-3 by the Gamecocks in a hard-fought match that lasted over three hours.
The visitors built an early lead after winning the doubles point on courts one and two. Despite Kentucky’s best efforts, they were unable to complete the comeback and were left to rue their missed chances.
However, there were some positives to take away from the match for the Wildcats. Liam Draxl got them off to a strong start in singles play by defeating the nation’s sixth-ranked player, Toby Samuel, 6-2, 6-2. This was only Samuel’s second defeat of the dual season, while Draxl improved his spring record to an impressive 10-2.
Joshua Lapadat then tied things up for Kentucky with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Raphael Lambling on court three. The UK junior has been in fine form this spring, with a 5-2 record against nationally ranked opponents and an overall record of 10-2.
However, South Carolina was able to retake the lead with a victory on court two, where seventh-ranked Connor Thomson edged out Alafia Ayeni in a prolonged second-set tiebreak, 6-4, 7-6 (8).
Kentucky now hits the road to face Texas A&M this Saturday at 2 p.m. from the Mitchell Tennis Center.
Doubles:
No. 1 Samuel/Thomson (SC) def. Ayeni/Baadi (UK): 6-4
Beasley/Story (SC) def. No. 43 Lapadat/Mercer: 6-2
Draxl/Weekes (UK) vs. Hoole/Lambling (SC): 4-5 (unfinished)
Order of finish: 2, 1
Singles:
No. 27 Liam Draxl (UK) def. No. 6 Toby Samuel (SC): 6-2, 6-2
No. 7 Connor Thomson (SC) def. No. 31 Alafia Ayeni (UK): 6-4, 7-6 (8)
No. 23 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. No. 80 Raphael Lambling (SC): 6-4, 6-3
James Story (SC) def. No. 100 Taha Baadi (UK): 7-5, 7-5
Jaden Weekes (UK) def. No. 90 Casey Hoole (SC) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Jake Beasley (SC) def. No. 102 Charlelie Cosnet (UK): 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6
Kentucky freshman Jaden Weekes then produced a memorable comeback on court five to tie the match at three apiece. After going a set and a break down, Weekes battled back to overcome No. 90 Casey Hoole, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. This was the first nationally ranked win of Weekes’ collegiate career and bodes well for his future with the Wildcats.
Unfortunately for Kentucky, the match came down to a third set on court six, where South Carolina’s Jake Beasley grabbed an early break to defeat Charlelie Cosnet, 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-3, and secure the win for the Gamecocks.
While the Wildcats will be disappointed with the result, they can take some solace in the fact that they pushed one of the best teams in the country to the brink. They will need to bounce back quickly, however, as they face a tough test against No. 10 Georgia in their next conference match. With the talent and determination displayed by the Wildcats in their match against South Carolina, there is no doubt that they will give it their all and fight to come out on top.
