Wildcats Drop Heartbreaker Against No. 16 Florida

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Despite its ninth-straight doubles point win and a valiant comeback effort in singles, Kentucky (8-5, 1-2 SEC) fell in a four-hour, 15-minute match against No. 16 Florida (7-5, 1-2 SEC) at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on Friday evening.

The Wildcats had an electric start with No. 3 pair Charlelie Cosnet and Martin Breysach taking down Florida’s Kevin Edengren and Andreas Timini, 6-2. No. 2 pair Nicolas Arseneault and Jaden Weekes fell to Florida’s Tanapatt Nirundorn and Pablo Perez Ramos, 6-3, putting the Wildcats neck and neck with the Gators for the doubles point.

No. 23 Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson were able to pull out a huge win in a tight tiebreaker and secure the doubles point, defeating No. 89 Lorenzo Claverie and Henry Jefferson, 7-6 (11). With the victory, the All-American duo earned their sixth ranked win of the season.

Florida jumped out to an early advantage claiming the first set on five of the six courts. No. 41 Perez Ramos led the victories for Florida defeating No. 16 Stephenson in straight sets on court two. No. 29 Jefferson for Florida followed quickly, defeating No. 94 Nicolas Arseneault in straight sets on court one.

The rest of the matches were decided in third sets, as the Wildcats battled back into the match. Florida took a 3-1 lead with Edengren defeating Mikael Arseneault in a three-set battle 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.

No. 91 Cosnet battled and made a huge comeback in the second set down 4-5, then took the match to three sets. After saving a pair of match points in the decider, Cosnet ultimately defeated Florida’s No. 46 Jeremy Jin, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4). The win on court No. 4 was the first ranked win for Cosnet in the dual season and sparked a Wildcat comeback on the remaining points.

Another stellar comeback came from Matt Rankin who trailed after losing the first and ultimately defeated Florida’s Andreas Timini, 4-6, 7-6(0), 6-4. The win snapped a four-match losing streak for Rankin and evened the match at 3-3.

The match was decided at court No. 3, as No. 38 Loutit battled against Claverie. After a tight first set, the Wildcat was able to come out on top, 7-5. The Kiwi nearly sealed the match in straight sets, but fell in a second set tiebreak, sending the match to a decider. After falling behind an early break, Loutit was able to draw the match back to level terms and force a dual-deciding tiebreak. However, just four points into the breaker, Loutit received his a game penalty for a line call overrule, allowing Florida to claim the victory.

Kentucky will play its first true road matches of the season next weekend, traveling west to match up with Oklahoma on March 6 at 6 p.m. ET and Arkansas on March 8 at 1 p.m. ET.

For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.

Kentucky vs. No. 16 Florida

Doubles Results

1. No. 23 Stephenson/Loutit (UK) def. No. 89 Claverie/Jefferson (UF) 7-6 (11)
2. Nirundorn/Perez Ramos (UF) def. N. Arseneault/Weekes (UK) 6-3
3. Breysach/Cosnet (UK) def. Edengren/Timini (UF) 6-2

Order of finish: 2, 3, 1

Singles Results

1. No. 29 Henry Jefferson (UF) def. No. 94 Nicolas Arseneault (UF) 7-5, 6-1
2. No. 41 Pablo Perez Ramos (UF) def. No. 16 Eli Stephenson 6-2, 6-3
3. Lorenzo Claverie (UF) def. No. 38 Jack Loutit (UK) 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (1)
4. No. 91 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. No. 46 Jeremy Jin (UF) 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4)
5. Kevin Edengren (UF) def. Mikael Arseneault (UK) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
6. Matt Rankin (UK) def. Andreas Timini (UF) 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-4

Order of finish: 2, 1, 5, 4, 6, 3