Kentucky Defeats In-State Foe NKU, Falls to Northwestern

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s tennis team (7-3) took on a pair of tough teams in a doubleheader at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center on Friday, sweeping in-state foe Northern Kentucky (0-4) in a 4-0 decision this morning but then falling to Northwestern (5-2) in a 4-2 final.
 
Kentucky started the day strong against the Norse of Northern Kentucky. The doubles pair of Alexandre LeBlanc and Kevin Huempfner were the first to win their match against Andrew Niehaus and Jorge Rodriguez, 6-1. The doubles point was secured after César Bourgois and Ying-Ze Chen defeated NKU’s pair of Nick Elleman and Felipe Hidalgo 6-1.
 
Leading 1-0, the Wildcats moved into singles play where they kept up the momentum. The first to grab a singles point was Kento Yamada, who defeated Rodriguez 6-4, 6-2. Not far behind Yamada was Bourgois, who won another singles point for Kentucky with a 7-5, 6-3 defeat of Nathan Schwartz on the top court. Gabriel Diallo clinched the match with his singles point against Niehaus, who he defeated in a 6-4, 6-2 pair of sets.
 
Following the impressive win against Northern Kentucky, UK headed into its second match of the day for a tough battle against the Wildcats of Northwestern.
 
Kentucky dropped the doubles point after the opening matches, putting Northwestern at a 1-0 advantage going into singles play. The pair of Millen Hurrion and Diallo fell 6-3 to Simen Bartholm and Nick Brookes before Northwestern clinched the doubles point when its twosome of Trice Pickens and Antonioni Fasano overcame their matchup of Chen and Bourgois 7-6.
 
Singles competition was a hard fight as well, and Kentucky fought to the bitter end. After Brookes defeated Diallo 7-6 (7), 6-1 on court three, Hurrion brought UK back into the competition and secured the first point against Dominik Stary 7-6(6), 6-4. Bourgois tied up the match with a huge win over Steven Forman after being down in the first set and battling his way to a point with a three-set win of 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.
 
The third match that began with a first-set tiebreak was against Yamada and Pickens. Unfortunately, after three tough sets, Yamada fell 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4, bringing Northwestern to a 3-2 lead. The match was clinched by NU after LeBlanc was overcome by Chris Ephron on court five, 6-2, 6-1.
 
Kentucky is set to travel to Durham, North Carolina, to face the Duke Blue Devils on Sunday, Feb. 9. The first serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
 
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and follow along on the web at UKAthletics.com.
 
Kentucky 4, Northern Kentucky 0
 
Singles
1. César Bourgois (UK) def. Nathan Schwartz (NKUM) 7-5, 6-3
2. Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. Andrew Niehaus (NKUM) 6-4, 6-2
3. Emilien Burnel (NKUM) vs. #52 Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) no result
4. Kento Yamada (UK) def. Jorge Rodriguez (NKUM) 6-4, 6-2
5. Jonathan Sorbo (UK) vs. Brandon Ponomarew (NKUM) 6-4, 4-3, unfinished
6. Nick Elleman (NKUM) vs. Parth Aggarwal (UK) no result
 
Doubles
1. Gabriel Diallo/Millen Hurrion (UK) vs. Nathan Schwartz/Emilien Burnel (NKUM) 5-2, unfinished
2. Kevin Huempfner/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) def. Andrew Niehaus/Jorge Rodriguez (NKUM) 6-1
3. Ying-Ze Chen/César Bourgois (UK) def. Nick Elleman/Felipe Hidalgo (NKUM)

Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,1,2)
 
 
Northwestern 4, Kentucky 2
 
Singles
1. Millen Hurrion (UK) def. Dominik Stary (NU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
2. César Bourgois (UK) def. Steven Forman (NU) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
3. Nick Brookes (NU) def. Gabriel Diallo (UK) 7-6 (9-7), 6-1
4. Trice Pickens (NU) def. Kento Yamada (UK) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-4
5. Chris Ephron (NU) def. #52 Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) 6-2, 6-1
6. Kevin Huempfner (UK) vs. Simen Bratholm (NU) 6-4, 0-2, unfinished
 
Doubles
1. Simen Bratholm/Nick Brookes (NU) def. Millen Hurrion/Gabriel Diallo (UK) 6-3
2. Kevin Huempfner/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) vs. Chris Ephron/Dominik Stary (NU) 5-6, unfinished
3. Trice Pickens/Antonioni Fasano (NU) def. Ying-Ze Chen/César Bourgois (UK) 7-6

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