March 8, 2003
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The UK men’s tennis team found Lexington’s windy conditions to its liking Saturday as the Wildcats defeated Indiana 5-2 at UK’s Boone Tennis Complex. The match marked Kentucky’s 2003 outdoor debut.
The Cats got off to a quick start by taking the doubles point. At No. 3, Evan Austin and Alex Hume continued their winning ways with an easy 8-1 victory over IU’s Tom Bagnato and John Stone. Karim Benmansour and Matt Emery clinched the UK doubles point with an 8-4 win over Zach Held and Ryan Recht at number one.
Jesse Witten put Kentucky up 2-0 with an effortless 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 1 over IU’s Viktor Libal. The Hoosiers countered at No. 5 as Ryan Recht defeated UK’s Emery, 6-0, 6-1. However, Kentucky quickly rebounded by winning two matches to clinch the Wildcat victory. Austin cruised to an easy victory over Held, 6-1, 6-1, and Benmansour defeated IU’s Petr Novotny, 6-2, 6-4.
UK’s Alex Hume improved to 10-2 in dual-match play with a 6-3, 7-5 win at No. 6 over the Hoosiers’ Julien Vulliez.
Kentucky Coach Dennis Emery was pleased with how the Wildcats handled the adverse weather conditions.
“We played well for our first match outdoors. The wind was really rough, but our team handled it very well. This is a great victory over a quality team like Indiana,” Emery said.
The Cats will return to action Sunday as they take on fourth-ranked Baylor. The Bears feature five ITA-ranked student-athletes, including the ITA’s top-ranked player, Benedikt Dorsch. The match is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Boone Tennis Center, but the start time may be pushed back due to a preceding UK women’s tennis match against Mississippi State.
AGATE:
Doubles1.Karim Benmansour/Matt Emery (UK) def. Zach Held/Ryan Recht (IU) - 8-42.Rahim Esmail/Jesse Witten (UK) vs. Viktor Libal/Petr Novotny (IU) - susp.3.Evan Austin/Alex Hume (UK) def. Tom Bagnato/John Stone (IU) - 8-1
Singles1.No. 10 Jesse Witten (UK) def. Viktor Libal (IU) – 6-1, 6-02.Evan Austin (UK) def. Zach Held (IU) – 6-1, 6-13.Karim Benmansour (UK) def. Petr Novotny (IU) – 6-2, 6-44.Tom Bagnato (IU) def. No. 104 Rahim Esmail (UK) – 6-3, 4-3, default5.Ryan Recht (IU) def. Matt Emery (UK) – 6-0, 6-16.Alex Hume (UK) def. Julien Vulliez (IU) – 6-3, 7-5
