Kentucky Defeats Arkansas, Advances in SEC Tournament

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – 11th-seeded Kentucky (17-12, 5-9 SEC) opened its campaign in the 2026 Southeastern Conference Men’s Tennis Championship with a 4-2 First Round victory over No. 14 seed Arkansas (16-14, 3-11 SEC). With the victory, the Wildcats advance to play No. 12 Georgia (17-7, 9-5 SEC), the tournament’s No. 6 seed, at 3 p.m. ET tomorrow, April 16, at 3 p.m. ET.

Kentucky dropped the doubles point but responded in singles play, scoring all four of its points in the match’s second session. The Wildcats were able to get revenge over the Razorbacks, avenging a 4-3 defeat in Fayetteville during the regular season. Kentucky has now eliminated Arkansas in the SEC Tournament in four of the last six season, joining wins in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

The Razorbacks took the 1-0 lead with doubles wins on courts two and three. Conor Smillie and Lukas Palovic delivered the first win for the Hogs, upsetting No. 90 Matt Rankin and Nicolas Arseneault with a 6-2 win on court three. Arkansas clinched the opening point as Brendan Boland and Dmitry Kopilevich posted a 6-3 win over Martin Breysach and Jaden Weekes on court two.

In the match’s on ranked vs. ranked matchup, No. 17 Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson were tied at 4-4 against No. 30 Eric Padgham and Ben Weintraub when doubles action concluded.

Despite the deficit, Kentucky rebounded with urgency in singles play. Four Wildcats claimed their first sets, led by Weekes on court three. The senior snapped a six-match losing streak against SEC opponents with a swift 6-2, 6-2 victory over Gabriel Elicha Navas.

Kentucky took its first lead of the match as No. 82 Loutit delivered a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Arsene Pougault on court five. The win was Loutit’s first straight sets triumph over an SEC opponent since March 8, also against Arkansas.

The Razorbacks were able to tie the match at 2-2, scoring their final point as Boland defeated Rankin, 7-5, 6-3, on court six.

The Wildcats regained the lead at 3-2 as No. 54 Nicolas Arseneault continued his stellar form. The freshman from Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada earned a come-from-behind victory over Weintraub on court two, winning 12 of the final 15 games over the final two sets to claim the 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win. Arseneault has now won 11 of his last 13 matches.

Kentucky found the clinching victory on the top court, as No. 21 Stephenson battled through a three-set win against Palovic. The Louisville native claimed early breaks in both the first and third sets and paced his way to a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win to secure Kentucky’s advancement in the tournament.

No. 114 Charlelie Cosnet was leading in the third set against Kopilevich on court four when play concluded, 6-4, 5-7, 4-2.

The Wildcats are now set for a rematch with Georgia tomorrow afternoon. The two teams met just 11 days ago in the Wildcats’ final home match of the year. In that contest, Kentucky recovered from a 3-1 deficit with come-from-behind, three set wins on the final three courts to upset the 12th-ranked Bulldogs.

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Kentucky vs. Arkansas

Doubles Results

1. No. 17 Loutit/Stephenson (UK) vs. No. 30 Padgham/Weintraub (ARK) 4-4 (unfinished)
2. Boland/Kopilevich (ARK) def. Breysach/Weekes (UK) 6-3
3. Smillie/Palovic (ARK) def. No. 90 Rankin/N. Arseneault (UK) 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 2

Singles Results

1. No. 21 Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Lukas Palovic (ARK) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
2. No. 54 Nicolas Arseneault (UK) def. Ben Weintraub (ARK) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
3. Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Gabriel Elicha Navas (ARK) 6-2, 6-2
4. No. 114 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) vs. Dmitry Kopilevich (ARK) 6-4, 5-7, 4-2 (unfinished)
5. No. 82 Jack Loutit (UK) def. Arsene Pougault (ARK) 6-1, 7-5
6. Brendan Boland (ARK) def. Matt Rankin (UK) 7-5, 6-3

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