No. 14 Kentucky Falls 4-1 to No. 8 Texas A&M in SEC Quarterfinals

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Fourteenth-ranked and fifth-seeded Kentucky (18-7) ended its quest for a Southeastern Conference Championship with a 4-1 loss in the quarterfinals to eighth-ranked and fourth-seeded Texas A&M (16-7) on Wednesday at Billingsley Tennis Center.
 
The Wildcats’ lone point of the day was captured in dramatic fashion during doubles competition. After the Aggies claimed the third-court matchup, No. 9 César Bourgois and Gabriel Diallo earned their eighth ranked win of the season with a 6-4 victory over No. 6 Juan Carlos Aguilar and Bjorn Thomson on the top court.
 
With all eyes on court two, Millen Hurrion and Liam Draxl clinched the doubles point with their first ranked win in an exhilarating 7-6 (7-5) tiebreaker over No. 70 Valentin Vacherot and Pierce Rollins.
 
Texas A&M reclaimed momentum in singles play, which featured ranked matchups on each of the top five courts. The Aggies won in straight sets on courts six and two, finishing the Cats off in three-set thrillers on courts five and four. The contest’s first and third singles bouts were left unfinished.
 
With a second win over the Wildcats in a two-month span, Texas A&M advances to a semifinal date with No. 1 Florida on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.
 
Kentucky’s remaining postseason fate hinges on a potential at-large berth in the 2021 NCAA Championship, which is scheduled to play out in both team and individual format across all four weeks of May.
 
The NCAA Selection Show is tabbed for Monday, May 3, at 6:30 p.m., broadcast live on NCAA.com.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
 
 
#8 Texas A&M 4, #14 Kentucky 1
 
Singles
1.#4 Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) vs. #1 Liam Draxl (UK) 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 5-3, unfinished
2.#5 Hady Habib (TAMU) def. #15 Gabriel Diallo (UK) 7-6, 6-4
3.#42 Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) vs. #33 Millen Hurrion (UK) 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 1-0, unfinished
4.#98 Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. #96 César Bourgois (UK) 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 7-5
5.#123 Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. #103 Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5)
6.Raphael Perot (TAMU) def. Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 6-1, 6-4
 
Doubles
1.#9 César Bourgois/Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. #6 Carlos Aguilar/Bjorn Thomson (TAMU) 6-4
2.Millen Hurrion/Liam Draxl (UK) def. #70 Valentin Vacherot/Pierce Rollins (TAMU) 7-6 (7-5)
3.Pranav Kumar/Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. Joshua Lapadat/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 6-2
 
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,2,5,4)