Women’s Tennis Bests Wichita State to Snap Skid

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Playing at home for the first time in nearly three weeks, Kentucky Women’s Tennis (5-3, 0-0 SEC) ended its three-match losing streak with a 5-2 win over Wichita State (3-3, 0-0 AAC), powered by wins on five of six singles courts. With the win, the Wildcats remain undefeated in the friendly confines of the Boone and now hold a 4-0 record in home matches.

Kentucky opened the match facing a 1-0 deficit, as the Shockers would claim the opening point in doubles action. The fresh pair of Ellie Myers and Elizabeth Stevens would move to 2-0 on the season, winning on Court 3 by a 6-4 score line. However, Wichita State would take victories on the top two courts to gain the upper hand in the dual.

Despite each time claiming first sets on three courts, the Wildcats would convert all three of their early advantages and combine that with two come-from behind-victories to fuel their furious singles comeback. Stevens was the first Cat to cross the finish line, tying the dual via her first singles victory of the year, winning 6-1, 7-6 (3) on the top court.

Zoe Hammond was the next to reach the winner’s circle, claiming a come-from-behind victory on Court 4, 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Her victory improved her team-best singles record to 6-1 while also claiming a 2-1 lead for Kentucky, a lead the home team would never relinquish.

Ellie Eades posted Kentucky’s third point of the day in her season debut at No. 3 singles. After claiming the final four games of the first set to take the opening frame, the junior from Floyds Knobs, Ind. rebounded from a second-set defeat to take the match 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, snapping a four-match losing streak in the process.

The Shockers would take their only singles point of the day to stay alive in the match, as Wichita State’s Xin Tong Wang took a tightly contested No. 2 singles contest over Lidia Gonzalez, 7-6 (6), 7-5.

Now leading 3-2 and needing only one of the two courts in the final flight, freshman Julia Zhu clinched the match for the Wildcats once again, claiming a convincing straight set win by a score of 6-1, 6-3. The Berlin, Germany native now has a team-high three clinches though Kentucky’s first five victories of the season.

The two teams elected to play the match out, allowing Myers to notch a comeback victory at No. 6 singles. The Evansville, Ind. Native rallied from a set and a break down to claim the second set in a tiebreaker. After facing a match point in the second-set decider, the sophomore would not hold back in the third-set super-tiebreak, taking victory 2-6, 7-6 (6), [10-5]. The win marked her sixth win of the season, tied for a team high, as well as finalized Kentucky’s 5-2 win in the dual.

The Wildcats will close out non-conference action next Sunday, February 18, as they take on in-state rival Eastern Kentucky in a 10 a.m. (ET) contest at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. Admission is free to the public and fans who are unable to attend can follow along via live stats or live stream.

RESULTS

Kentucky vs. Wichita State

Doubles

Kurahashi/Wang (WSU) def. Eades/Gonzalez (UK) 6-2
Knuettel/Kudryavtseva (WSU) def. Hammond/Mills (UK) 6-2
Myers/Stevens (UK) def. Chantava/Roselli (WSU) 6-4

Singles

Elizabeth Stevens (UK) def. Kurahashi (WSU) 6-1, 7-6(3)
Wang (WSU) def. Lidia Gonzalez (UK) 7-6 (6), 7-5
Ellie Eades (UK) def. Kudryavtseva (WSU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2
Zoe Hammond (UK) def. Knuettel (WSU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
Julia Zhu (UK) def. Roselli (WSU) 6-1, 6-3
Ellie Myers (UK) def. Chantava 2-6, 7-6 (6), [10-5]

Order of Finish:
Doubles— 1, 3, 2*
Singles— 1, 4, 3, 2, 5*, 6