Feb. 25, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The seventh-ranked University of Kentucky men’s tennis team lost the doubles point and then fell behind early in singles action, dropping a 4-0 decision to second-ranked Ohio State on Saturday afternoon at the Varsity Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
The win extended Ohio State’s home winning streak to an impressive 136 consecutive matches, which is the longest in the nation. The Buckeyes haven’t lost at home since the 2002-03 season.
“Ohio State was just a little bit better than we were today, especially at home,” UK head coach Dennis Emery said. “They are just too good at home, where they have a great atmosphere and play really inspired. What makes them so hard to beat is that they are extremely talented at the top of the rotation and very experienced at the bottom of the rotation. Hopefully, we can shake this loss off and regroup before we start Southeastern Conference play next weekend.”
OSU leads the all-time series with Kentucky 13-11, including two victories this season. Kentucky fell 4-3 to Ohio State in the quarterfinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Men’s Team Indoor Championships last weekend in Charlottesville, Va. The two teams have met annually since 2009 with the Buckeyes earning 5-2 wins in 2009 and 2010. Last year, then-No. 12 Kentucky fell in a dual match to third-ranked Ohio State 4-3 in Lexington. The first-ever meeting was in 1933.
Kentucky (10-3) will continue its eight-match road trip on Wednesday when it travels to face Lafayette-Louisiana at 2 p.m. ET. After its match with the Ragin’ Cajuns, UK will begin its Southeastern Conference slate Friday at LSU before concluding the road trip Sunday at Arkansas.
The match started with Ohio State (13-1) taking the doubles point behind wins at courts one and three. The Buckeyes’ No. 3 doubles team of Peter Kobelt and Connor Smith earned the first win of the day, taking down UK sophomore Tom Jomby and junior Anthony Rossi 8-6. The nation’s top-ranked doubles team of Chase Buchanan and Blaz Rola then clinched the doubles point at court one by defeating No. 48 Eric Quigley and Panav Jha 8-5.
Ohio State continued its momentum in singles action, earning straight-set wins on three courts to grab the 4-0 victory. No. 107 Connor Smith gave OSU a 2-0 lead with a 6-4, 6-0 win at six singles over sophomore Grant Roberts, while the Buckeyes grabbed a 3-0 lead when No. 12 Rola defeated No. 20 Alex Musialek 6-1, 6-4. The Buckeyes clinched the match at No. 4 singles when No. 65 Devin McCarthy earned a 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 87 Alejandro Gomez.
Play on the other three singles courts was suspended when OSU clinched the match. Kentucky had won the first set on two courts, while the Buckeyes won a tiebreaker in the first set on the other court. No. 13 Rossi was leading 7-6, 3-2 in the second set at three singles over Kobelt, while No. 79 Jomby was up 7-6, 3-3 at five singles. No. 16 Buchanan took the first set over No. 6 Quigley at court one, before Quigley went up a quick break in the second set 2-0 when the match was suspended.
For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow “UKMensTennis” on Twitter or “University of Kentucky men’s tennis team” on Facebook.
#2 Ohio State 4, #7 Kentucky 0
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012
Columbus, Ohio – Varsity Tennis Center
Singles
1 – No. 16 Chase Buchanan (OSU) vs. No. 6 Eric Quigley (UK) 7-6, 0-2, unf.
2 – No. 12 Blaz Rola (OSU) def. No. 20 Alex Musialek (UK) 6-1, 6-4
3 – Peter Kobelt (OSU) vs. No. 13 Anthony Rossi (UK) 6-7, 2-3, unf.
4 – No. 65 Devin McCarthy (OSU) def. No. 87 Alejandro Gomez (UK) 6-2, 6-4
5 – Ille Van Engelen (OSU) vs. No. 79 Tom Jomby (UK) 6-7, 3-3, unf.
6 – No. 107 Connor Smith (OSU) def. Grant Roberts (UK) 6-4, 6-0
Doubles
1 – No. 1 Chase Buchanan/Blaz Rola (OSU) def. No. 48 Eric Quigley/Panav Jha (UK) 8-5
2 – No. 27 Devin McCarthy/Ille Van Engelen (OSU) vs. Alex Musialek/Alejandro Gomez (UK) 7-5, unf.
3 – Peter Kobelt/Connor Smith (OSU) def. Tom Jomby/Anthony Rossi (UK) 8-6
Order of finish
Singles: 6, 2, 4*
Doubles: 3, 1*
