No. 30 Kentucky Defeats Arkansas, 5-2
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 30 Kentucky (9-4, 2-0 SEC) men’s tennis team beat Arkansas (8-6, 1-2 SEC), 5-2, to stay perfect in Southeastern Conference play on Friday night at the Boone Tennis Center.
Kentucky started the match on the right foot after taking the doubles point. The duo of Enzo Wallart and Ryo Matsumura was the first winner after breezing past Oscar Mesquida and Adam Sanjurjo, 6-0. UK clinched the doubles point after Cesar Bourgois and Gus Benson only lost one set in a 6-1 win over Jose Salazar and Josh Howard-Tripp. Austin Hussey and Will Bushamuka were locked in a 2-2 battle when play was called.
Enzo Wallart extended the Kentucky lead to 2-0 when he walked past Mesquidea, 6-2, 6-0. Wallart has now won two-straight and is a perfect 5-0 on the No. 3 court.
Arkansas punched back to cut the Kentucky lead to 2-1 when Alex Reco beat Trey Yates, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5.
Two battles on the top two courts clinched victory for Kentucky. No. 43 Ryo Matsumura earned his third ranked win of the year over No. 84 Jose Salazar, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. He is a perfect 3-0 against ranked opponents and is currently on a four-game winning streak. Matsumura is 3-0 on the No. 1 court and 8-1 overall.
Bushamuka clinched the win for UK with a 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-4 win over Josh Howard-Tripp. The win was Bushamuka’s second of the season.
Two more courts were unfinished when Bushamuka clinched the win, and both teams decided to play the rest of the match out. Austin Hussey earned a 6-3, 6-4 over Pedro Alonso on court five and Jake Stefanik lost to Jose Alonso, 6-4, 7-5.
Kentucky will return to action on Sunday against Ole Miss. First serve at the Boone Tennis Center is set for 1 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
Arkansas vs Kentucky
Mar 09, 2018 at Lexington, Ky.
(Boone Tennis Center)
#30 Kentucky 5, Arkansas 2
Singles competition
1. #43 Ryotaro Matsumura (KENTUCKY) def. #84 Jose Salazar (AR) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
2. Will Bushamuka (KENTUCKY) def. Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-4
3. Enzo Wallart (KENTUCKY) def. Oscar Mesquida (AR) 6-2, 6-0
4. Alex Reco (AR) def. Trey Yates (KENTUCKY) 7-5, 5-7, 7-5
5. Austin Hussey (KENTUCKY) def. Pedro Alonso (AR) 6-3, 6-4
6. Jose Alonso (AR) def. Jake Stefanik (KENTUCKY) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Cesar Bourgois/Gus Benson (KENTUCKY) def. Jose Salazar/Josh Howard-Tripp (AR) 6-1
2. Enzo Wallart/Ryotaro Matsumura (KENTUCKY) def. Oscar Mesquida/Adam Sanjurjo (AR) 6-0
3. Austin Hussey/Will Bushamuka (KENTUCKY) vs. Alex Reco/Pedro Alonso (AR) 2-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
Arkansas 8-6
Kentucky 9-4; National ranking #30
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,4,1,2,5,6)
For more information on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter or Kentucky Men’s Tennis Team on Facebook.
