Wildcats Post 4-3 Win in Fayetteville
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –The Kentucky women’s tennis team started off the weekend successfully, claiming a 4-3 victory over Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas. With the win, the Wildcats move to 15-7 on the season and 4-6 in conference play, while the Razorbacks drop to 16-9 (5-4 SEC).
The Wildcats’ two ranked doubles teams picked up the first point of the dual match, with No. 82 Nadia Ravita and Justina Mikulskyte taking an early 6-2 decision over Makenze Craft and Flavia Araujo on Court 2. The Razorbacks’ Mia Jurasic and Ana Operanovic deadlocked the doubles competition with a 6-2 win over Akvile Paražinskaite in No. 3 doubles, but Kentucky’s duo of Mami Adachi and Aldila Sutjiadi, ranked second in the nation, came out on top in a tight battle with No. 77 Yuliya Lysa and Shannon Hudson with a 7-6 tiebreak victory. The Wildcats were dominant in the deciding set, with a 7-0 tiebreak blanking of their opponents.
Arkansas quickly tied the score up by the close of the first singles contest, as No. 56 Mikulskyte fell in straight sets to the 34th-ranked Lysa in No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-1. Kentucky went on to win out in singles to close the match, with No. 53 Sutjiadi earning the first singles win for the Wildcats. The junior took down No. 86 Oparenovic, 6-4, 6-2.
Ravita also claimed a win in No. 3 singles, going extra games with Hudson in No. 3 singles, 7-5, before putting the match away with a 6-2 second set. Lewis clinched the match for the Wildcats in No. 6 singles with a similar outcome as Ravita, edging out Sasha Shkorupeieva 7-5 in the opening set before a clear win in the second set, 6-3.
With the victory clinched, Kentucky opted to retire at the No. 4 and 5 singles spots. Paražinskaite was in the midst of a third set with Makenzie Craft in No. 4 singles after dropping a 6-4 opening set and winning a 6-2 second set. The deciding set was tied at 1-1 when the match was retired. On the No. 5 court, Adachi had won a 7-6(7-0) first set, and trailed 2-5 when the match was retired.
The Wildcats will remain on the road to wrap up the weekend, heading to No. 60 Missouri on Sunday. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET
#21 Kentucky 4, #27 Arkansas 3
Singles (Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 6*)
1. No. 34 Yuliya Lysa (ARK) def. No. 56 Justina Mikulskyte (UK), 6-4, 6-1
2. No. 53 Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 86 Ana Oparenovic (ARK), 6-4, 6-2
3. Nadia Ravita (UK) def. Shannon Hudson (ARK), 7-5, 6-2
4. Makenzie Craft (ARK) vs. Akvile Paražinskaite (UK), 6-4, 2-6, 1-1, retired
5. Mia Jurasic (AKR) vs. Mami Adachi (UK) 6-7 (0-7), 5-2, retired
6. Kirsten Lewis (UK) def. Sasha Shkorupeieva (ARK) 7-5, 6-3
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*
1. No. 2 Mami Adachi/Aldila Sutjiadi (UK) def. No. 77 Yuliya Lysa/Shannon Hudson (ARK), 7-6(7-0)
2. No. 82 Nadia Ravita/Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Makenzie Craft/Flavia Araujo (ARK) 6-2
3. Mia Jurasic/Ana Oparenovic (ARK) def. Akvile Paražinskaite/Kirsten Lewis (UK) 6-2
Visit UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information on the Kentucky women’s tennis team and all 22 varsity sports. For additional info, notes, and behind-the-scenes updates, follow the team on Twitter at @UKWomensTennis and on Facebook.
