UK Men’s Tennis Stays Perfect, Sweeps Notre Dame 7-0
LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 21 Kentucky continued its hot start to the season, sweeping Notre Dame 7-0 on Sunday at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. The Wildcats improve to 5-0 on the spring, dropping the Fighting Irish to 4-3.
In a contest that included Kentucky’s first nationally ranked individual matchups of the season, the Wildcats highlighted the afternoon with top-20 wins on both the doubles and singles courts.
“I think today was a good step in the right direction,” said volunteer assistant coach Peter Kobelt. “Notre Dame is very good year in and year out, and to perform the way we did today shows our guys how good we can possibly be. It was nice to see the whole team step up and come together for the entire match.”
Sunday’s tone was set during doubles play, when sophomore Gabriel Diallo and fifth-year senior César Bourgois teamed up for a 6-3 victory over 19th-ranked Tristan McCormick and Axel Nefve on the top court. Sophomores Liam Draxl and Alexandre LeBlanc followed soon after with a 6-2 win over William Howells and Brandon Ancona on court three.
Draxl was the first to finish from the top singles spot for the fourth time in five matches, extending Kentucky’s lead to 2-0. The undefeated 45th-ranked Newmarket, Ontario, native made a statement to all of college tennis with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over sixth-ranked Notre Dame senior Richard Ciamarra, avenging a three-set thriller between the two in Notre Dame, Indiana, last season.
Diallo secured the Cats’ next point, beating Matthew Che 6-3, 6-2 on court No. 4. Freshman Joshua Lapadat, the nation’s 123rd-ranked singles player overall and seventh-ranked newcomer, clinched the Kentucky victory with a 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) win over McCormick on court three.
Bourgois and freshman Mathis Moysan rounded out the afternoon with respective eight-game pro sets in the final two matchups.
Kentucky is set to return to action on Wednesday, hosting its second doubleheader of the early season. The Wildcats will face Dayton (0-2) at 11 a.m. ET and 3 p.m.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s tennis team, follow @UKMensTennis on Twitter and Facebook, @kentuckymenstennis on Instagram, and on the web at UKAthletics.com.
#21 Kentucky 7, Notre Dame 0
Singles
1.#45 Liam Draxl (UK) def. #6 Richard Ciamarra (ND) 6-4, 6-0
2.Millen Hurrion (UK) def. Axel Nefve (ND) 7-6 (7-2), 6-2
3.#123 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Tristan McCormick (ND) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
4.Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. Matthew Che (ND) 6-3, 6-2
5.César Bourgois (UK) def. Brandon Ancona (ND) 8-5
6.Mathis Moysan (UK) def. Connor Fu (ND) 8-6
Doubles
1.Gabriel Diallo/César Bourgois (UK) def. #19 Tristan McCormick/Axel Nefve (ND) 6-3
2.Millen Hurrion/Ying-Ze Chen (UK) vs. Richard Ciamarra/Matt Gamble (ND) 5-3, unfinished
3.Liam Draxl/Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) def. William Howells/Brandon Ancona (ND) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,4,3,2,5,6)
