No. 5 Kentucky Hosts Two Top-25 Teams at Home This Weekend
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis team (14-2, 5-0 SEC) hosts No. 10 Texas A&M (16-4, 5-1 SEC) this Friday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex with the match slated to begin at 5 p.m. ET. Following that match, Kentucky will host No. 21 Auburn (13-5, 4-1 SEC) on Sunday at home with a start time projected at 1 p.m. ET.
Both matches are scheduled to be played outdoors at this time with the current projected forecast. Should things change, the matches will be moved indoors.
The Wildcats are on a roll as they stay standing as the only team left in the Southeastern Conference with an undefeated conference record. This impressive record can be attributed to Kentucky’s seven-match win streak. This win streak is highlighted by efforts from Kentucky’s very own Taha Baadi who is checking in at No. 36 in the latest ITA Singles Rankings, and JJ Mercer and Josh Lapadat sitting at a ranking of 23 in doubles. Additionally, freshman Eli Stephenson, remains undefeated on the season with an 13-0 record. Stephenson stands as the only undefeated player in the conference, regardless of class, that has played in at least six matches.
The first opponent coming to the Cats is No. 10 Texas A&M. The Aggies are coming off an upset victory over No. 9 Tennessee with great efforts by their No. 28 doubles pairing Giulio Perego and Togan Tokac who snatched the pivotal doubles point for the Aggies to defeat the Volunteers. The Maroon & White also defeated the Georgia Bulldogs, 5-2, to extend their conference play win streak to five. This win can be attributed to Texas A&M’s ranked singles players No. 24 JC Roddick and No. 33 Raphael Perot.
Next, the Wildcats will square off against the No. 21 Auburn Tigers who have recently picked up momentum as they stretch to extend their win streak from three to four. This past weekend Auburn pulled an upset over the No.16 South Carolina men’s tennis team. Auburn’s double pairing of Tyler Stice and Will Nolan are a strong force for the Tigers as they never trailed in their set against the Gamecocks and clinched their seventh doubles dual match victory of the season. For singles, redshirt freshman Nicholas Heng is an intimidating force for the Tigers as he had a come-from-behind win against the Gamecocks. Additionally, sophomore Billy Blaydes earned his seventh consecutive singles victory and stands 5-0 in the SEC.
For those unable to attend, both matches will feature live stats, available through StatBroadcast, and a live stream provided on TrackTennis.
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
