Kentucky Snags First Top-25 Win Over No. 17 Alabama

LEXINGTON, Ky – No. 44 Kentucky (8-7, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) finished off its second SEC win in convincing fashion, defeating No. 17 Alabama (11-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) 5-2 on Friday evening at Boone Tennis Center.
 
Friday marked the Wildcats’ first victory over a top-25-ranked opponent this season. Kentucky defeated No. 30 Ole Miss 4-3 on March 1.
 
“We had a big team meeting last week about the standards and the culture that we had to set heading into the SEC season,” said volunteer assistant coach Mark Goldberg. “I think this was a big one, protecting our home, setting our standards high. We came out, took care of our business, and we protected our home.”
 
The night began with Kevin Huempfner and Fabian Penzkofer sealing the match’s first point with a 6-3 win over Alabama’s Thibault Cancel and Riccardo Roberto. The first point was set up by Kento Yamada and Ryo Matsumura defeating Edson Ortiz and Zhe Zhou 6-2.
 
Cesar Bourgois opened up the singles scoring for Kentucky, defeating Cancel 7-5, 6-2. No. 44 Matsumura followed that up with a victory over No. 36 Mazen Osama 6-4, 6-2. Enzo Wallart clinched the match for Kentucky after he defeated Edson Ortiz 6-2, 6-4.
 
After the Cats secured the victory, the teams agreed to complete all six singles matchups. Kento Yamada defeated Patrick Kaukovalta 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 to give Kentucky a 5-0 advantage.
 
Friday’s win gave Kentucky its second straight victory over Alabama. The Wildcats defeated the Crimson Tide 4-0 in Tuscaloosa last year. With the win, Kentucky closes the all-time series record against Alabama to 24-26-1.
 
“Tonight’s a good win, but that’s where we’re supposed to be,” said senior Enzo Wallart. “This is not a surprise for us. This is what we need to do. Confidence-wise, this builds us up really well at home to defend the house like this on the first wave, especially with only four courts. It puts us in a good spot for the SEC to start off well here at home on Friday, but now we got to get back to work on Sunday.”
 
Kentucky will continue its home stretch on Sunday, taking on Auburn at 1 p.m. ET.
 
For the latest on Kentucky men’s tennis, follow @UKMensTennis onTwitterand @KentuckyMensTennis on Instagram,and follow the team on the web at UKAthletics.com.
 
#44 Kentucky def. #17 Alabama 5-2
 
Singles

1. #44 Ryo Matsumura (UK) def. #36 Mazen Osama (UA) 6-4, 6-2
2. Enzo Wallart (UK) def. Edson Ortiz 6-2, 6-4
3. Kento Yamada (UK) def. Patrick Kaukovalta (UA) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 
4. Cesar Bourgois (UK) def. Thibault Cancel (UA) 7-5, 6-2
5. Zhe Zhou (UA) def. Kevin Huempfner (UK) 5-7, 7-6, 8-10
6. Jeremy Gschwendtner (UA) def. Parth Aggarwal (UK) 7-6, 7-5

 
Doubles

1. #17 Patrick Kaukovalta/Mazen Osama (UA) def. Cesar Bourgois/Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-3
2. Kento Yamada/Ryo Matsumura (UK) def. Edson Ortiz/Zhe Zhou (UA) 6-2
3. Kevin Huempfner/Fabian Penzkofer (UK) def. Thibault Cancel/Riccardo Roberto (UA) 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (4,1,2,3,5,6)