The 38th-ranked University of Kentucky mens tennis team dropped two matches in doubles play, handingFlorida the 4-3 win on Sunday, March 25 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center.
After getting a late start due to the womens tennis match versus Louisiana State, the teams elected to startwith singles action. Senior Edo Bawono, the nations 49th-ranked singles player and this weeks SoutheasternConference Mens Tennis Player of the Week, looked impressive as he grabbed a straight set win over theGators No. 47 Jeremy Wurtzman. UFs Olivier Levant, ranked 72nd, was too much for freshman Matt Emery,who fell in straight sets and knotted the match at one. Floridas Troy Hahn was able to get by UK freshman Karim Benmansour in three sets, while junior GustavPousette rebounded from a first-set tiebreak loss to take his match over Matt Behrmann in three sets. JohanGrunditz put the Cats up 3-2 with his come-from-behind win at No. 5, but UFs Ross Greenstein eliminatedUKs chance of the 4-2 upset when he took out freshman Rahim Esmail in three sets.
Doubles play was tight between the UK tandem of Bawono and junior Reven Stephens and UFs50th-ranked team of Wurtzman and Levant, but the Gators notched the 8-5 victory to gain an advantage. Florida(8-9, 3-2 SEC) guaranteed the victory when the team of Greenstein and Behrmann took out UKs Grunditz andBenmansour.
Bawonos singles victory was his third win over a ranked opponent in the last four matches. Grunditzssingles win moved him to 3-0 against SEC opponents this spring. The Cats are riding a five-match losing skidthat started on March 13 at No. 1 UCLA.
Kentucky (7-10, 1-3 SEC) looks to get back on track on Wednesday, March 28 when the Cats travel toKnoxville, Tenn., to take on the sixth-ranked Volunteers. The Vols have five players ranked in singles, including33rd-ranked Peter Handoyo, as well as two doubles tandems. The match is set to get underway at 2 p.m. at theGoodfriend Tennis Center (500).
AGATE
Singles
No. 1 #49 Edo Bawono (UK) def. #47 Jeremy Wurtzman (UF) 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 #72 Olivier Levant (UF) def. Matt Emery (UK) 6-1, 6-0
No. 3 Troy Hahn (UF) def. Karim Benmansour (UK) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
No. 4 Gustav Pousette (UK) def. Matt Behrmann (UF) 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 Johan Grunditz (UK) def. West Nott (UF) 2-6, 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 Ross Greenstein (UF) def. Rahim Esmail (UK) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 #50 Wurtzman/Levant (UF) def. Bawono/Stephens (UK) 8-5
No. 2 Greenstein/Behrmann (UK) def. Grunditz/Benmansour (UK) 8-3
No. 3 Emery/Esmail (UK) vs. Hahn/Trey Johnson (UF) 6-6, susp.
