Kentucky Advances to NCAA Second Round
LEXINGTON, Ky – No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis (25-2) swept DePaul (14-10), 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening at the Boone Tennis Complex.
The doubles session began with Kentucky’s dominating duo of Taha Baadi and Jack Loutit taking their sixth doubles win together in a row. They defeated the Blue Demons’ Leon Huck and Sven Moser, 6-2. The Wildcats’ pair at the third position, Jaden Weekes and Eli Stephenson, secured the doubles point over DePaul’s Pablo Almeida and Vito Tonejc. This doubles victory marks Kentucky’s eleventh straight doubles point.
The Wildcats swept the singles contest with a triumphant team effort. Freshman Loutit took down DePaul’s Almeida in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Continuing the winning momentum for Kentucky was sophomore Charlelie Cosnet as he defeated Matteo Iaquinto, 6-0, 6-2. Only needing one more victory to clinch the match, senior Josh Lapadat got it done, coming out on top over Huck, 6-3, 6-1. Kentucky prevails to the second round on a 18-match win streak.
The Wildcats are back at it tomorrow as they will face off against Illinois, the No. 2 seed in the Lexington regional. The two teams will fight to advance to the third round with the match slated for 4 p.m. ET at the Boone Tennis Complex. Live stats and streaming will be available, including a whip around broadcast on the Cracked Racquets YouTube channel.
Ticket Information
Tickets are available for purchase NOW to the general public through fevo-enterprise.com/group/2024NCAAMTENNIS and the UK Ticket Office.
Tickets are $15, while youth ages 3-18 and seniors 65+ will have a discounted price at $10. Children ages 2 and under qualify for free admission. Additionally, all seating is general admission and Friday’s ticket is good for both matches. All tickets must be purchased in advance using the links provided.
Full-time University of Kentucky students are granted free admission by presenting their valid UK student ID at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on match day with the free ticket provided by UKAD Marketing. Faculty/Staff ID’s, K Fund Sports Passes, and Junior Wildcat Club Passes WILL NOT be admitted for free and will need to purchase tickets via the public link.
Overall, fans are encouraged to purchase in advance to try and avoid long lines that may occur on the day of the matches.
All pre-purchased tickets will be available via mobile delivery. Ticket purchasers will be able to access their tickets electronically through My UK Account or the UK Athletics App after purchase using the email they purchased tickets with. Additional mobile ticket information may be found online at UKAthletics.com/mobiletickets.
Parking will be available in the lot directly across from the tennis facility, in the E-lot and C-16 lot near the UK Track Complex. Additional parking may be found in the green lot of Kroger Field. PS7 is pay-to-park on Friday. Saturday it will be open to public parking. Gates will open 1 hour prior to the first match each day at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex.
RESULTS
No. 5 Kentucky vs. DePaul
Doubles
No. 4 Lapadat/Mercer (UK) vs. Verma/Gitschel (DPU): 4-4, unfinished
Baadi/Loutit (UK) def. Huck/Moser (DPU): 6-2
Stephenson/Weekes (UK) def. Almeida/Tonejc (DPU): 6-4
Singles
No. 28 Taha Baadi (UK) vs. Vito Tonejc (DPU): 7-6(5), 3-1 (unfinished)
No. 80 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Leon Huck (DPU): 6-3, 6-1
Jaden Weekes (UK) vs. Shourya Verma (DPU): 6-3, 3-3 (unfinished)
Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Matteo Iaquinto (DPU): 6-0, 6-2
Jack Loutit (UK) vs. def. Pablo Almeida (DPU): 6-3, 6-0
Eli Stephenson (UK) vs. Sven Moser (DPU): 6-3, 5-3 (unfinished)
Order of Finish:
Doubles— 2, 3
Singles— 5, 4, 2*
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
