April 16, 2000

LEXINGTON, Ky. – It came down to the No. 6 singles match between Jorge Escallon and David Nelson before the match was decided on Sunday afternoon at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Stadium. South Carolina narrowly defeated Kentucky’s men’s tennis team, 4-3, when Nelson defeated Escallon in the tiebreaker game of the final set.

Escallon won the first set, while Nelson captured the second. The match was forced to a tiebreaker when Escallon came back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the match at 6-all. Though Escallon kept up with Nelson through the entire game, Nelson eventually went on to win the match.

In other singles matches, senior Carlos Drada won his final home game at the University of Kentucky, defeating Robert Steckley in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Gustav Pousette also earned a point for the Wildcats, beating Guillaume Legat, 7-5, 6-2.

In doubles action, the No. 1 team of Johan Grunditz and Pousette quickly defeated Legat and Seth Rose, 8-0. Johan Hesoun and Dalibor Mihajlovic broke the doubles team of David Nelson and Jerome Jourdon to up the score to 7-6, and eventually went on to win the match, 8-6, to give the Cats a point.

The Cats (11-13, 4-7 SEC) will travel to Starkville, Miss., for the Southeastern Conference Championships on April 20-23.

AGATE:
South Carolina 4, Kentucky 3

Singles

Carlos Drada, UK def. Robert Steckley, USC 6-3, 6-2
Jerome Jourdon, USC def. Johan Hesoun, UK 6-3, 6-2
Gustav Pousette, UK def. Guillaume Legat, USC 7-5, 6-2
Seth Rose, USC def. Johan Grunditz, UK 6-2, 6-3
Olof Akesson, USC def. Dalibor Mihajlovic, UK 7-6, 6-1
David Nelson, USC def. Jorge Escallon, UK 6-3, 1-6, 7-6

Doubles

Grunditz/Pousette, UK def. Legat/Rose, UK 8-0
Hesoun/Mihajlovic, UK def. Nelson/Jourdon, USC 8-6
Drada/Reven Stephens, UK vs. Steckley/Akesson, USC 6-6 susp.