The No. 20 Kentucky women’s tennis team is set to host its home opener inside the Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Kentucky. The Miami matchup is slated for an 11 a.m. start, followed by EKU at 6 p.m.
The Wildcats began their dual season 1-0 last Wednesday with a 4-0 victory over Marshall on the road.
Kentucky boasts the No. 1 doubles pair in the nation in senior Aldila Sutjiadi and junior Mami Adachi. They will begin 2017 as the top-ranked d pair after winning their first national title at the UTSA/ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships on Nov. 22.
The pair also won the consolation doubles bracket of the ITA All-American Championships on Nov. 7. Last season, the pair earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship, advancing to the Second Round of the tournament before falling to No. 10 Michigan.
The veteran tandem opened the dual season with a 6-4 win against Marshall’s Derya Turhan and Anna Pomyatinskaya to help the Wildcats clinch the doubles point.
Individually, Sutjiadi holds down the No. 12 singles spot after putting together an 8-2 record in the fall season and winning the singles title at the 2016 Ohio Valley Regional Championships. Last season, Sutjiadi ended her junior campaign ranked No. 36.
Sophomore Akvile Paražinskaitė opens the spring campaign at No. 74 in the national standings. Paražinskaitė earned her first victory over a ranked opponent in the season opener, taking down No. 94 Maddie Silver in a 6-2, 6-4 decision.
Admission to Wednesday’s match will be free for all spectators. Fans who attend the evening bout against EKU will also receive free pizza.
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Tuesday’s match will serve as Miami’s spring opener. The RedHawks were recently picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference.
Kentucky leads the all-time series against Miami, 18-2. The two teams last met on Feb. 19, 2010 with the Wildcats winning a 4-2 decision in Lexington.
SCOUTING EKU
Eastern Kentucky began its spring campaign 0-1 after suffering a 6-1 loss against Tulane. EKU senior Marina Marti had the lone Colonel victory in the match earning a 7-5, 7-6 win over Ivone Alvaro in No. 4 singles.
Kentucky has been on the winning side of the series since the two schools’ first meeting, owning a 19-0 overall series record. Last season, Kentucky downed the Colonels 6-1.
UP NEXT
Kentucky will head to Atlanta on Saturday to take on No. 25 UCLA as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend’s Atlanta Regional. The Wildcats are guaranteed two matches in the event, and will face either No. 11 Georgia Tech or Penn on Sunday.
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKWomensTennis and on the web at UKathletics.com.
Karlie Kinneer
Media Relations Assistant
