Cats Open SEC Slate with 4-3 Thriller Over No. 30 Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. – Kentucky began conference play with an impressive start, beating No. 30 Ole Miss on the road in a down-to-the-wire 4-3 thriller on Friday.
 
The Wildcats’ record to improves to 7-6 on the season, while the Rebels fall to 7-5.
 
“Losing the doubles point and five first sets in our conference is a very tough task,” said UK head coach Cedric Kauffmann. “Very proud of the boys to come out with this win.”
 
Kentucky got off to a slow start after Ole Miss claimed the doubles point. Cesar Bourgois and Enzo Wallart fell 6-2 on court one, while freshmen Fabian Penzkofer and Theo McDonald fell 6-4 on court three.
 
Singles play picked up for Kentucky, with the first point earned by Bourgois 6-3, 6-4 in two sets on court four. Bourgois defeated Ole Miss’s Karlo Kranic 6-3, 6-4.
 
Bourgois was followed by three more Cats who secured points in singles play. On court six, Kevin Huempfner defeated Simon Junk 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Nearby on court five, Parth Aggarwal beat Jan-Soren Hain 5-6, 6-4, 6-3.
 
In the top singles bout, No. 29 Ryo Matsumura fell to Tim Sandkaulen 6-4, 6-4. Kento Yamada picked up his first loss of the season in a 6-1, 7-6 (4) second-set tiebreaker defeat to Ole Miss’ Fabian Fallert.
 
Kentucky was tied 3-3 with one set left in a tiebreaker for Enzo Wallart when the senior co-captain defeated Filip Kraljevic 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2). This earned the win for the Cats by ending the match 4-3.
 
“We are getting tougher each match and are on the right track to become a team to be reckoned with,” Kauffmann said. “We still have a ways to go, but today we started believing in ourselves and each other.”
 
Kentucky will continue its conference-opening road trip at No. 8 Mississippi State on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET in a contest that was rescheduled from a day later due to concerns about weather.
 
For the latest on Kentucky men’s tennis, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and @KentuckyMensTennis on Instagram, and follow the team on the web at UKAthletics.com.
 
Kentucky def. #30 Ole Miss 4-3
 
Singles

1. Tim Sandkaulen (UM) def. #29 Ryo Matsumura (UK) 6-4, 6-4
2. Enzo Wallart (UK) def. Filip Kraljevic (UM) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2)
3. Fabian Fallert (UM) def. Kento Yamada (UK) 6-1, 7-6 (4)
4. Cesar Bourgois (UK) def. Karlo Kranic (UM) 6-3, 6-4
5. Parth Aggarwal (UK) def. Jan-Soren Hain (UM) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
6. Kevin Huempfner (UK) def. Simon Junk (UM) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

 
Doubles

1. Tim Sandkaulen/Filip Kraljevic (UM) def. Cesar Bourgois/Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-1
2. Ryo Matsumura/Kento Yamada (UK) vs. Fabian Fallert/Cotter Wilson (UM) 4-3, unfinished
3. Karlo Kranic/Simon Junk (UM) def. Fabian Penzkofer/Theo McDonald (UK) 4-6

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