Cats Best Vandy in First Outdoor Match at Home
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In the spring’s first outdoor match at Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex, No. 22 Kentucky (14-3, 4-2 Southeastern Conference) defeated Vanderbilt (4-8, 0-6 SEC) 5-2 on Friday.
In addition to keeping their perfect 12-0 record at home intact, the Wildcats notched a third consecutive win in league play.
“Since taking a couple of road losses, the guys have bounced back very well,” said assistant coach Matthew Gordon. “To win three matches in a row in our conference is not easy to do. I was really happy with our energy in the doubles that carried over into the singles.”
Doubles competition began with César Bourgois and Gabriel Diallo’s 10th win as a duo on the top court, defeating George Harwell and Macsen Sisam 6-1. Millen Hurrion and Liam Draxl moved to 2-0 together after clinching the opening point of the day with a 6-1 win over Marcus Ferreira and Adam Sraberg.
Hurrion wasted no time breezing through his No. 3 singles matchup with Sisam, pushing Kentucky’s lead to 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-0 victory. Diallo followed closely behind on court two, beating Ferreira 6-1, 6-3.
Once No. 114 Alexandre LeBlanc clinched the Kentucky victory with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Joubert Klopper from the No. 6 spot, the 45th-ranked Draxl earned his fourth ranked win of the season over the 117th-ranked Harwell in the top singles bout.
The Commodores claimed the last two battles on courts four and five.
With Kentucky’s would-be final non-conference test at No. 3 Virginia officially canceled, the Wildcats will take a full two-week hiatus before ending the season with six consecutive top-25 contests. The Cats are set to return on the road at No. 20 Georgia on Friday, March 26, at 5 p.m. ET.
“Now, 10 days to train and get ready for a tough stretch ahead,” Gordon said. “The boys are looking forward to it.”
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.
#22 Kentucky 5, Vanderbilt 2
Singles
1.#45 Liam Draxl (UK) def. #117 George Harwell (VU) 6-4, 6-1
2.Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. Marcus Ferreira (VU) 6-1, 6-3
3.Millen Hurrion (UK) def. Macsen Sisam (VU) 6-1, 6-0
4.Jeremie Casabon (VU) def. César Bourgois (UK) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5.Max Freeman (VU) def. Yasha Zemel (UK) 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7)
6.#114 Alexandre LeBlanc (UK) def. Joubert Klopper (VU) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles
1.César Bourgois/Gabriel Diallo (UK) def. George Harwell/Macsen Sisam (VU) 6-1
2.Millen Hurrion/Liam Draxl (UK) def. Marcus Ferreira/Adam Sraberg (VU) 6-1
3.Alexandre LeBlanc/Ying-Ze Chen (UK) vs. Jeremie Casabon/Connor Robb-Wilcox (VU) 4-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,2,6,1,5,4)
