No. 15 Wildcats Down Alabama 4-3 in SEC Opener
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a dramatic Southeastern Conference opener, the No. 15 Kentucky women’s tennis team took down No. 37 Alabama 4-3 inside the Boone Tennis Center on Friday evening. The win marked the Wildcats’ sixth straight victory.
“I am thrilled for our team’s effort during this match,” said Kentucky head coach Carlos Drada. “We played a highly competitive and well-coached Alabama team and our girls were able to execute well under pressure. We hope to learn from this match and look forward to another tough match against Auburn on Sunday.”
The Crimson Tide (12-3, 0-1 SEC) struck first in the match, taking the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. UK’s No. 1 duo of Mami Adachi and Emily Fanning breezed through a 6-0 victory on court one, but Alabama would take the lower two courts to secure the early lead.
It wasn’t long before the Wildcats would knot the match at one as sophomore transfer Diana Tkachenko breezed through a victory on court four, winning in straight sets over Alabama’s Kylie Moulin.
Kentucky (9-2, 1-0 SEC) took its first lead of the night as Adachi picked up a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles, before Alabama’s No. 118 Andie Daniell defeated No. 117 Justina Mikulskyte 7-6 (3), 6-2 to even things at 2-2.
In No. 2 singles, Fanning battled back in the second set to take down Smith Hinton 6-3, 7-5, but once again the Tide would come right back with a win in No. 6 singles over Brianna Tulloch.
The match was riding on the shoulders of Lesedi Jacobs, who after leading 4-1 in the second set would go all the way to a tiebreak. Jacobs dug deep to take the victory 6-3, 7-6 (5) and clinch the match for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats will be back in action on Sunday, March 4, welcoming No. 16 Auburn to the Boone Tennis Center. First serve is set for noon ET.
Agate
#15 Kentucky 4, #37 Alabama 3
Lexington, Ky. – Boone Tennis Center
March 2, 2018
Singles (Order of Finish: 4-3-1-2-6-5)
1 – #118 Andie Daniell (UA) def. #117 Justina Mikulskyte (UK) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
2 – Emily Fanning (UK) def. Smith Hinton (UA) 6-3, 7-5
3 – Mami Adachi (UK) def. Jacqueline Pelletier (UA) 6-2, 6-1
4 – Diana Tkachenko (UK) def. Kylie Moulin (UA) 6-1, 6-2
5 – Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Ann Selim (UA) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
6 – Alba Cortina-Pou (UA) def. Brianna Tulloch (UK) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1-2-3)
1 – #42 Mami Adachi/Emily Fanning (UK) def. Andie Daniell/Kylie Moulin (UA) 6-0
2 – Alba Cortina-Pou/Ann Selim (UA) def. Justina Mikulskyte/Diana Tkachenko (UK) 6-3
3 – Smith Hinton/Jacqueline Pelletier (UA) def. Lesedi Jacobs/Brianna Tulloch (UK) 6-3
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.
