CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. ? The No. 33 Kentucky men?s tennis team fell in its first round match of the NCAA tournament Saturday to No. 28 Wake Forest 4-0 in Charlottesville, Va. With the loss, the Wildcats conclude their season with a 16-10 record. The Demon Deacons improved to 16-10 and will face regional host Virginia on Sunday for the right to move on to Palo Alto, Calif., for the tournament?s final four rounds.
The Wildcats fell behind early 1-0 when they were unable to overcome Wake Forest?s No. 2 and 3 doubles teams. The Demon Deacons? duo of Cory Parr and Todd Paul blanked UK?s team of senior Carey Rubin and freshman Greg Anderson 8-0 at the No. 2 position. WFU clinched the point when the tandem of Marius Adamski and Andrew Hamar defeated Kentucky?s freshmen duo Bruno Agostinelli and Shane Collins 8-3.
In singles action, Wake Forest finished off the match by winning at the No. 4-6 spots in the lineup. At the fourth position, Parr turned back Rubin 6-0, 6-3. At sixth slot, freshman Kyle Virgin, in only his sixth match of the season, fell 6-4, 6-0, to Wake?s Liron Strauss. The Demon Deacons closed out the match at No. 5 when Adamski defeated Anderson 6-3, 7-5.
Senior Alex Hume will conclude his UK career when he returns to the courts on May 20 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., to compete for the men?s singles championships. The Alexandria, Va., native received an at-large bid after climbing to No. 37 in the national rankings, registering 29 wins and being named first team All-SEC. Fans can check ukathletics.com for complete coverage of Hume?s run for the national singles title.
Wake Forest 4, Kentucky 0
Doubles:
1) Ross/Sartor (WF) led Hume/Sundh (UK) 5-4 DNF
2) Parr/Paul (WF) def. Rubin/Anderson (UK) 8-0
3) Adamski/Hamar (WF) def. Agostinelli/Collins (UK) 8-3
Singles:
1) #18 Todd Paul (WF) led #37 Alex Hume (UK) 6-4, 3-4 DNF
2) Andrew Hamar (WF) led #85 Bruno Agonstinelli (UK) 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 DNF
3) Brett Ross (WF) led Marcus Sundh (UK) 6-1, 4-6, 3-2 DNF
4) Cory Parr (WF) def. Carey Rubin (UK) 6-0, 6-3
5) Marius Adamski (WF) def. Greg Anderson (UK) 6-3, 7-5
6) Liron Strauss (WF) def. Kyle Virgin (UK) 6-4, 6-0
