Mikulskyte, Paražinskaite Remain Unbeaten in Five Ranked Doubles Matches
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The upperclassmen duo in Justina Mikulskyte and Akvile Paražinskaite upset the 31st-best pair in the nation, but the No. 21 University of Kentucky women’s tennis team (14-3, SEC 4-2) could not top Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, on Sunday, dismissing the first three possible points.
For only the fifth time this season, UK didn’t clinch the doubles point. It gave Texas A&M an early one-point lead ahead of the singles competition, but it didn’t overshadow the upset performance by Wildcats’ Mikulskyte and Paražinskaite.
Playing the No. 1 doubles court; UK’s No. 55 upperclassmen duo defeated the No. 31 Texas A&M pair in Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith, finishing with a 6-2 final. Remarkably, senior Mikulskyte and redshirt-junior Paražinskaite are 5-0 against ranked foes. In addition, the pair ride a five-match win streak. On Friday, the UK duo defeated the No. 15 doubles team in the nation, and the 2018 NCAA Doubles National Champions, at LSU.
Meanwhile, UK fell short in the doubles matches on court two and court three. Traditionally a faithful pair, No. 76 Tiphanie Fiquet and Lesedi Jacobs lost on court two in a 6-3 set. The pair boasts an 11-3 mark in finished doubles matches this season. To decide the doubles point, twin sisters Anastasia Tkachenko and Diana Tkachenko lost on court three in a 7-5 set.
Just like on Friday at LSU, the Wildcats needed to win majority of the singles courts to win the dual match, but from the start, it didn’t look promising. Texas A&M collected back-to-back wins on court one and court six. A. Tkachenko dropped her singles match to Dorthea Faa-Hviding first, 6-0, 6-3. Then, No. 48 Mikulksyte lost the No. 1 court to Ktya Townsend, 6-3, 6-4.
Trailing Texas A&M by three, Jacobs posted the first UK win on court two. Now riding an eight-match win streak, the Namibia native recorded a 6-3, 7-6 finish to upset No. 100 Jayci Goldsmith. Jacobs traditionally plays the No. 3 position, but advanced in the singles lineup prior to the weekend. She proved she can handle the competition after winning her singles matches on Friday and on Sunday.
Texas A&M carried too much momentum, reporting the next point for a 4-1 finish over Kentucky. Makarova defeated UK’s Paražinskaite from behind on court three, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Ending the four-match road swing, UK will be ready to compete on familiar turf, as the tennis team will prepare for a five-match homestand. First up, Kentucky will host Florida on March 22, 5 p.m., at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center.
