No. 10 Kentucky Comes Up Short at No. 1 Ohio State

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Slow starts proved to be too much for the 10^th-ranked Kentucky (7-1) men’s tennis team, as it lost its first match of the season to top-ranked Ohio State (8-0), 4-0, Friday evening at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in the first of a two-game road trip this weekend. 
 
The Wildcats found themselves in a hole early in doubles and were unable to make up ground. Both Millen Hurrion and Liam Draxl as well as No. 57 Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer fell to strong competition by a 6-3 score. Though unfinished, Francois Musitelli and Yasha Zemel led 5-4 over No. 2 James Trotter and Justin Boulais when the Buckeyes clinched their first point of the night.
 
The tough starts continued in singles competition for Hurrion, Musitelli and No. 57 Lapadat. 
 
Musitelli, coming off his first ranked win of the season, was unable to pick up two in a row against No. 11 JJ Tracy, losing 6-1, 6-3. Kentucky then had some decent ground to make up, trailing 2-0.
 
While fifth-year Hurrion dropped the first set, he stayed competitive with OSU’s No. 16 Cannon Kingsley throughout the second. However, Kingsley pulled away for his fourth win of the season in a 6-2, 6-4 victory. The loss ended the career-best spring start for UK’s team captain, as he falls to 6-1.
 
London, Ontario native Lapadat was able to keep his match against Robert Cash interesting, as the sophomore clawed his way back in the second to trail just 5-4. Lapadat was just short of putting the clinching set in a deuce when Cash earned his first clinching victory on the season. 
 
Despite the loss, Mercer earned the lone set win for the Wildcats in his return to Columbus. The Huntington, West Virginia native took the first set from No. 36 James Trotter 6-4. This past summer,  Mercer transferred to UK for his redshirt sophomore season from Ohio State.
 
Kentucky will look to get back to its winning ways in its next match on Sunday. The Duke Blue Devils will host the Wildcats for a noon tilt at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center in Durham, North Carolina.
 
Ohio State 4, Kentucky 0
 
Singles 
 
1. #16 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. Millen Hurrion (UK) 6-2, 6-4
2. #6 Matej Vocel (OSU) vs. Liam Draxl (UK) 7-5, 3-4, unfinished
3. Jake Van Emburgh (OSU) vs. #5 Gabriel Diallo (UK) 7-6 (7-5), 1-2, unfinished 
4. #11 JJ Tracy (OSU) def. Francois Musitelli (UK) 6-1, 6-3
5. #36 James Trotter (OSU) vs. JJ Mercer (UK) 4-6, 6-3, unfinished
6. Robert Cash (OSU) def. #37 Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 4, 1, 6*
 
Doubles
 
1. #1 Robert Cash/Matej Vocel (OSU) def. Millen Hurrion/Liam Draxl (UK) 6-3
2. #2 James Trotter/Justin Boulais (OSU) vs. Francois Musitelli/Yasha Zemel (UK) 4-5, unfinished 
3. JJ Tracy/Cannon Kingsley (OSU) def. #57 Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3*
 
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.