Kentucky Rolls Past Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – No. 19 Kentucky responded after a loss last weekend, dismantling Southeastern Conference opponent Tennessee, 5-2, at Barksdale Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Freshman Enzo Wallart closed out the match for Kentucky with a three-set victory, as the Wildcats led 3-0. The Windermere, Fla., native ran through the opposition in the first set, 6-1, before facing some adversity with a 3-6 loss in the second. Wallart responded, clinching the match with a 6-3 in the third to open up a 4-0 victory.

The win marks UK’s fourth win in five the last five matches. 

“A road win in our conference is never easy. Winning the doubles point was nice. We played much better in the big points.

 

“Our guys are a little tired right now. We talked about taking care of themselves better for the end of the season. I expect them to do it. Healthy, we can be an elite team, but it comes with sacrifice that other teams are not willing to do. We will rest and get back to work.”

Kentucky advances to 15-5 on the season with a 5-3 record in league play. Tennessee is now 6-12 with an 0-5 SEC record.

The Wildcats resume action on Wednesday, hosting regional foes Ohio State and Xavier in a mid-week doubleheader on Wednesday, April 6. Kentucky will open with Ohio State at 2 p.m. before taking on Xavier at 6 p.m.

For the second time in three games, Kentucky earned the doubles point with a new adjusted lineup. Freshmen duo Austin Hussey and Ryotaro Matsumura faced a setback, 6-3 on the bottom court before the remaining pairs rallied for the win. Sophomore pairing Trey Yates and William Bushamuka tied doubles play with a 7-5 victory on the second court. Wallart and junior Nils Ellefsen closed out the point with a tightly contested 7-6 win. 

Ellefsen helped Kentucky jump ahead to a 2-0 lead, securing the first singles point with a straight set, 7-6, 6-3, win on the second court over Timo Stodder. Sophomore Jake Stefanik pushed UK to a 3-0 lead with an impressive performance, rallying from a 4-6 loss in the first for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory on the sixth court before Wallart secured the win.

Bushamuka and Yates faced a setback on the first and third courts, respectively, to make the match 4-2. Hussey won a super tiebreaker on the fifth court for the final 5-2 result.

#19 Kentucky 5, Tennessee 2

Singles Competition:

1. Luis Valero (UT-M) def. #27 William Bushamuka (UK) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-2

2. Nils Ellefsen (UK) def. Timo Stodder (UT-M) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3

3. Srdjan Jakovljevic (UT-M) def. Trey Yates (UK) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3

4. Enzo Wallart (UK) def. Jack Schipanski (UT-M) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3

5. Austin Hussey (UK) def. Preston Touliatos (UT-M) 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (14-12)

6. Jake Stefanik (UK) def. Jack Heslin (UT-M) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Doubles Competition:

1. Enzo Wallart/Nils Ellefsen (UK) def. #26 Jack Schipanski/Luis Valero (UT-M) 7-6 (8-6)

2. Trey Yates/William Bushamuka (UK) def. Preston Touliatos/Jack Heslin (UT-M) 7-5

3. Srdjan Jakovljevic/Timo Stodder (UT-M) def. Ryotaro Matsumura/Austin Hussey (UK) 6-3

Match Notes

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,6,4,1,3,5)

For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter or Kentucky Men’s Tennis Team on Facebook.