Wildcats Open Season 2-0, Defeat NKU, Miami
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 21 Kentucky women’s tennis team opened its season 2-0 on Wednesday, downing Miami (Oh.) and Northern Kentucky inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The Wildcats blanked both foes, defeating Miami, 7-0, and NKU, 4-0.
Kentucky cruised through its first match of the day, dropping just one set overall to Miami. In doubles, Justina Mikulskyte and Lesedi Jacobs teamed up on court two to win the first match of the day, while seniors Emily Fanning and Mami Adachi clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory in No. 1 doubles.
The Wildcats earned victories on all six singles courts against the Redhawks, with five coming in straight sets. The only set dropped came on the No. 6 court, as freshman Brianna Tulloch rallied through a third-set tiebreak to down Emily Struble, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 1-0 (9).
In the second match of the day, the Wildcats once again quickly picked up the first point in the match with wins on courts one and three. Adachi gave the Cats a two-point lead with a victory on court four before freshman Lesedi Jacobs won in straight sets in No. 3 singles. Mikulksyte clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Maria Koo.
UK will have return to action Jan. 26-27, hosting ITA Kick-Off Weekend inside the Boone Tennis Center. The Wildcats will face Big Ten for Northwestern at 10 a.m. on Friday, while No. 17 UCLA and NC State will face off at 2 p.m. The winners and losers of each respective match will face off on Saturday.
Agate
#21 Kentucky 7, Miami 0
Boone Tennis Center – Lexington, Ky.
January 24, 2018
Singles (Order of Finish: 1-3-2-4-5-6)
1 – Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Milana Lysova (MIAMI), 6-0, 6-0
2 – Emily Fanning (UK) def. Nelli Ponomareva (MIAMI), 6-0, 6-2
3 – Mami Adachi (UK) def. Anastasia Vasiukhina (MIAMI), 6-1, 6-0
4 – Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Priyana Kalita (MIAMI), 6-2, 6-1
5 – Diana Tkachenko (UK) def. Lena Babunski (MIAMI), 6-1, 6-0
6 – Brianna Tulloch (UK) def. Emily Struble (MIAMI), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 1-0 (9)
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2-1)
1 – Mami Adachi/Emily Fanning (UK) def. Nelli Ponomareva/Anastasia Vasiukhina (MIAMI), 6-2
2 – Justina Mikulskyte/Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Priyana Kalita/Milana Lysova (MIAMI), 6-0
3 – Diana Tkachenko/Brianna Tulloch (UK) def. Emily Struble/Lena Babunski (MIAMI), 3-2, unf.
Agate
#21 Kentucky 4, NKU 0
Boone Tennis Center – Lexington, Ky.
January 24, 2018
Singles (Order of Finish: 4-3-2)
1 – Margita Sunjic (NKU) vs. Emily Fanning (UK), 6-1, 3-4, unf.
2 – Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Maria Koo (NKU), 6-2, 6-1
3 – Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Taylor Culbertson (NKU), 6-1, 6-3
4 – Mami Adachi (UK) def. Sydney Power (NKU), 6-0, 6-2
5 – Hannah Watton (NKU) vs. Diana Tkachenko (UK), no result
6 – Alyssa Defiglio (NKU) vs. Brianna Tulloch (UK), no result
Doubles (Order of Finish: 3-1)
1 – Mami Adachi/Emily Fanning (UK) def. Maria Koo/Taylor Culbertson (NKU), 6-1
2 – Justina Mikulskyte/Lesedi Jacobs (UK) vs. Margita Sunjic/ Sydney Power (NKU), 4-1, unf.
3 – Diana Tkachenko/Brianna Tulloch (UK) def. Alyssa Defiglio/Hannah Watton (NKU), 6-0
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook at Facebook.com/UKWomensTennis and on the web at UKathletics.com.
