Men’s Tennis Falls Short at Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – With the match coming down to the final court for the third dual in a row, Kentucky (9-6, 2-3 SEC) dropped a 4-3 decision at Arkansas (12-6, 1-4 SEC) on Sunday afternoon.
Arkansas jumped out to an early advantage by claiming the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. No. 28 Jakub Vrba and Connor Smillie defeated Nicolas Arseneault and Jaden Weekes, 6-1, to push the Razorbacks in front. Dmitry Kopilevich and Brendan Boland sealed the opening point with a 6-3 win over Martin Breyach and Charlelie Cosnet. No. 19 Eli Stephenson and Jack Loutit were leading their No. 1 doubles match when play concluded.
Needing four singles wins for the second match in a row, the Cats jumped out to a quick start in singles, winning four of six first sets. Arkansas was the first team to score a singles point, as Ben Weintraub defeated Weekes in straight sets.
Kentucky tied the match in quick succession, as No. 77 Cosnet and Mikael Arseneault cruised to straight-sets wins. Cosnet delivered his fourth victory in five SEC matches with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory over Arsene Pougault on court five. Arseneault won his second match of the weekend with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Boland on court six.
No. 38 Loutit would give the Cats their first lead of the match, earning his first SEC win of the season. The junior from Auckland, New Zealand battled to claim a pair of tight sets to earn the 7-5, 6-4 win on court four.
The Hogs tied the match up on court two, as No. 102 Nicolas Arseneault was unable to hang onto an early lead. The Wildcat won the first set easily and was in the midst of a tight second set, but Lukas Palovic rattled off eight of the final nine games to claim the 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win.
The dual came down to the top court as No. 24 Stephenson and No. 21 Vrba were locked in a back-and-forth battle. The Wildcat All-American held an early lead in the first frame, but Vrba won the final four games to claim a 7-5 win. Down a break to start the second, Stephenson rallied to take the frame, 6-3, and push the match into a decider.
The two players traded breaks to begin the third set but it was Stephenson who was the first to consolidate, claiming a 3-1 lead. After both players traded holds, a point penalty on Stepheson would give the break back level the set at 4-4. The Louisville native was forced to hold to stay in the match on two occasions, battling back from 0-30 deficits on both occasions to eventually force a deciding tiebreaker. Stephenson claimed first blood and eventually earned a 5-2 lead in the pivotal game. However, Vrba would win six of the final seven points to win the dual for Arkansas.
Kentucky will return home next weekend, hosting Alabama on Friday, March 13 and No. 19 Auburn on Sunday, March 15. Admission to all matches at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex is free to the public.
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
Kentucky vs. Arkansas
Doubles Results
- No. 19 Stephenson/Loutit (UK) vs. Weintraub/Padgham (ARK) 5-3 (unfinished)
- No. 28 Vrba/Smillie (ARK) def. N. Arseneault/Weekes (UK) 6-1
- Kopilevich/Boland (UK) def. Breysach/Cosnet (UK) 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles Results
- No. 21 Jakub Vrba (ARK) def. No. 24 Eli Stephenson (UK) 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (6)
- Lukas Palovic (ARK) def. No. 102 Nicolas Arseneault (UK) 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
- Ben Weintraub (ARK) def. Jaden Weekes (UK) 6-2, 6-1
- No. 38 Jack Loutit (UK) def. Dmitry Kopilevich (ARK) 7-5, 6-4
- No. 77 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Arsene Pougault (ARK) 6-1, 6-3
- Mikael Arseneault (UK) def. Brendan Boland (ARK) 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 5, 6, 4, 2, 1
