Wildcats Extend Conference Run, Thump Florida Gators
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis team (12-2, 3-0 SEC) continued their undefeated conference run, beating the No. 27 Florida Gators (6-5, 2-1 SEC) on Friday night inside the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, Ky. The Gators claimed their only point of the match in doubles before Kentucky dominated the singles portion, winning on all six courts to complete the 6-1 victory.
Florida claimed wins on court one and three to give them the doubles point, leaving the match of Jaden Weekes and Eli Stephenson unfinished.
Looking to level the score, the sophomore Weekes was the first person to earn a singles point, with a straight set win over Florida’s Adhithya Ganesan, 6-1, 6-1. Shortly thereafter, sophomore Charlelie Cosnet claimed victory by defeating Nate Bonetto 7-5,6-3. Fifth Year Taha Baadi added the third point to the Wildcat score after beating No.97 Jeremy Jin on court one. This win brings his tally against ranked opponents to six, the most on the team.
In search of the final point, Joshua Lapadat flew through the first set, overcoming Florida’s Aidan Kim 6-3, before battling in, and ultimately winning the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4) to clinch the match. Electing to play out, the teams continued competition on courts five and six. Freshman Jack Loutit earned his first win over a ranked opponent in his collegiate career after getting the better of No.99 Tanapatt Nirundorn on court five, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). Freshman Eli Stephenson struggled in the first set, falling to Henry Jefferson 4-6, before claiming the first five games of the second set. He squared the court with a 6-3 second set win, before dominating a ten point tiebreak, 10-5, to bring the match to a close. The Louisville native remains unbeaten in the 2024 season.
The Wildcats extend their conference record to 3-0 as they prepare to take on the LSU Tigers (11-3, 1-2 SEC) in Baton Rouge on Friday, March 15 at the LSU Tennis Complex. The match will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET with streaming and live stats available for fans.
Kentucky 6, Florida 1
Doubles
Court 1 – Nate Bonetto/Aidan Kim (UF) def. No. 13 JJ Mercer/Josh Lapadat (UK) 6-4
Court 2 – Jaden Weekes/Eli Stephenson (UK) vs. No. 39 Adhithya Ganeson/Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-5 (uf)
Court 3 – Henry Jefferson and Jeremy Jin (UF) def. Matt Rankin/Jack Loutit (UK)
Singles
Court 1 – No. 21 Taha Baadi (UK) def. No. 97 Jeremy Jin (UF) 6-2, 7-5
Court 2 – Josh Lapadat (UK) def. Aidan Kim (UF) 6-3,7-6 (7-4)
Court 3 – Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Adhithya Ganesan (UF) 6-1, 6-1
Court 4 – Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Nate Bonetto (UF) 7-5, 6-3
Court 5 – Jack Loutit (UK) def. No. 99 Tanapatt Nirundorn (UF) 6-4. 7-6 (7-4)
Court 6 – Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Henry Jefferson (UF) 6-3, 7-5
Order of Finish:
Doubles— 3, 1*
Singles— 3, 4, 1, 2*, 5, 6
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
