Kentucky Closes Road Trip with Loss to No. 8 Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. – Kentucky (7-7, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) finished off its league-opening two-match road trip to the Magnolia State with a 7-0 loss to No. 8 Mississippi State (10-2, 2-0 SEC) on Saturday evening at AJ Pitts Tennis Centre.
 
Saturday’s match was originally scheduled for the next day, but concerns about the impending weather forced the teams to reschedule. The loss comes one day after Kentucky commenced its conference slate with a 4-3 victory over No. 30 Ole Miss.
 
Saturday marked the Wildcats’ first 7-0 defeat of the season after opening their spring schedule with two such victories in a Jan. 13 doubleheader.
 
The evening began with the nation’s 11^th-ranked doubles pair, Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, sealing the match’s first point with a 6-4 win over Kentucky’s top doubles unit, Cesar Bourgois and Enzo Wallart.
 
The Bulldogs picked up three singles wins from nationally ranked players, including No. 3 Nuno Borges’ 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 29 Ryo Matsumura.
 
Despite dropping its last six matchups with Mississippi State, Kentucky still owns a 29-24 all-time lead in the head-to-head series.
 
Kentucky will return home next weekend, taking on No. 20 Alabama on Friday at 5 p.m. ET and Auburn on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
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.
 
#8 Mississippi State def. Kentucky 7-0
 
Singles

1. #3 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #29 Ryo Matsumura (UK) 6-3, 6-1
2. #80 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-2, 6-3
3. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Cesar Bourgois (UK) 6-3, 6-2
4. #82 Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Parth Aggarwal (UK) 6-3, 6-2
5. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Kevin Huempfner (UK) 6-2, 6-2
6. Florian Broska (MSU) def. Fabian Penzkofer (UK) 6-4, 6-2

 
Doubles

1. #11 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Cesar Bourgois/Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-4
2. #6 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) vs. Kevin Huempfner/Ryo Matsumura (UK) 5-3, unfinished
3. Trevor Foshey/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. Theo McDonald/Fabian Penzkofer (UK) 6-2

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