LEXINGTON, Ky.? The University of Kentucky?s men?s tennis team earned its third consecutive win and first of the season over a ranked opponent, as the No. 33 Wildcats downed No. 63 Indiana, 5-2 at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex on Thursday.
?This was a good win for us,? said Coach Dennis Emery. ?I thought we defended our home court well. Indiana is known for their intensity and we jumped out quickly and put them away.?
Kentucky got things going early as the home team picked up the coveted doubles point after winning at No. 2 and No. 3. The duo of freshman Roman Ogarkov and junior Marcus Sundh defeated the Hoosiers? Michael McCarthy and Arnauld Roussel, 8-3 at No. 3. Indiana took the match at No. 1, forcing a deciding point at the No. 2 spot. The undefeated tandem of senior Peter Bjork and Will Ward continued their perfect start with a win, 8-6 over David Bubenicek and Peter Antons.
?I was really pleased with the wins we got at singles today,? said Emery. ?I thought we kept our focus and finished the matches, not allowing Indiana to get back into it.?
Indiana tied the match at 1-1 when Ward retired in the second set to Dara McLoughlin. The tie did not last long for the Hoosiers, as reigning SEC Player of the Week sophomore Bruno Agostinelli needed just two sets to defeat David Bubenicek, 6-0, 6-2. No. 73 Agostinelli has now won three consecutive matches at No. 1 singles.
UK extended its lead when Sundh pounced out to a 6-4, 6-4, victory over McCarthy. Sundh paces the Wildcats with a 7-1 record in singles action in the spring slate. Bjork followed with a 6-4, 6-4, win of his own over Thomas Richter to seal the win for the Wildcats.
Sophomore Kenny Hodge picked up the fifth point for the home team with a three-set win at No. 6 over Peter Antons. Hodge took the first set 7-5. Antons fired back with a 6-3 win. Hodge prevailed in the third-set tie-breaker with 10-6 victory.
Kentucky improves its record to 5-3 overall. Indiana falls to 8-2 on the young season. The blue and white will next be in action on Monday, Feb. 26 when they play host to Furman and Eastern Kentucky. The match with Furman is slated to begin at 1 p.m., with the Eastern Kentucky match beginning at 6 p.m.
#33 Kentucky 4, vs. #63 Indiana 1
SINGLES:
No. 1 No. 73 Bruno Agostinelli (UK) def. David Bubenicek (IU) 6-0, 6-2
No. 2 Dara McLoughlin (IU) def. Will Ward (UK) 6-4, 1-0 ret.
No. 3 Peter Bjork (UK) def. Thomas Richter (IU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 4 Marcus Sundh (UK) def. Michael McCarthy (IU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Arnauld Roussel (IU) Shane Collins (UK) 6-0, 6-1
No. 6 Kenny Hodge (UK) def. Peter Antons (IU) 7-5, 3-6, 10-5.
Order of finish: 2, 1, 4, 3, 5, 6
DOUBLES
No. 1 Thomas Richter/Dara McLoughlin (IU) def. Bruno Agostinelli/Kenny Hodge (UK) 8-3
No. 2 Peter Bjork/Will Ward (UK) def. David Bubenicek/Peter Antons (IU) 8-6
No. 3 Roman Ogarkov/Marcus Sundh (UK) def. Michael McCarthy/Arnauld Roussel (IU) 8-3
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
