No. 7 Kentucky Falls at No. 23 Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Despite a ranked win from Jack Loutit and a come-from-behind victory from Eli Stephenson, the seventh-ranked Kentucky men’s tennis team could not pull out a victory in its road debut, falling to No. 23 Michigan State at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center in East Lansing. The Spartans won the doubles point and four singles courts to finish the match with a 5-2 win.
In the first-ever top 25 matchup hosted by Michigan State, the home squad raced out of the gates with a win at No. 3 doubles, at the No. 66 team of Taym Al-Azmeh and Daniel Rakhmatullayev took a 6-1 win over Antoine Ghibaudo and Charlelie Cosnet. The other two courts were tight battles, but late breaks for the Spartans allowed the team of Ozan Baris and Vuk Radjenovic to clinch the doubles point with a 6-4 win on court one.
In singles, the Spartans continued their momentum by taking four of the six first sets. No. 83 Max Sheldon of Michigan State doubled his team’s lead with a topsy-turvy 6-4, 6-4 win over Kentucky’s No. 79 Charlelie Cosnet. MSU moved within one win of the clinch after NCAA Singles Runner-Up and ITA No. 8 Baris spoiled the collegiate debut of Ghibaudo—the ITA’s No. 1 ranked newcomer—with a 6-1, 7-6 (6) win.
The Wildcats made a push for a comeback win, forcing two matches into decisive third sets. However, No. 39 Jaden Weekes was unable to sustain a first-set advantage and fell 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on court two to give the Spartans the victory.
The two teams played out the remaining matches, allowing Jack Loutit to pick up his first ranked win of the season. Loutit recovered from an early deficit to win the opening frame before making another furious comeback in the second to send the set to a tiebreak. Both players had multiple set points in the up-and-down affair, but Loutit emerged victorious with a 6-3, 7-6 (10) win over No. 40 Matthew Forbes.
In another high-quality, back-and-forth match, transfer Martin Breysach was unable to find himself on the winning end, as he fell 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to Al-Amzeh on court six.
Eli Stephenson ended the match with a win on court five, finding victory after facing three match points in the second set. The sophomore from Louisville got off to a slow start in the opening frame, but slowly worked his way back into the match and forced a tiebreak. In the breaker, Stephenson found himself trailing once again—down three match points at 6-3—but rattled off five straight points to take the frame. In the third, he raced out to a double break lead and added the final point to the board for his team with a 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 win over Radjenovic.
The Wildcats will return home next weekend, as they host the ITA Kickoff Weekend for the third consecutive season. No. 18 Arizona State, Nebraska, and Santa Clara will compose the rest of the field, as each team vies for a spot at the 2025 ITA Indoor National Championships. The Wildcats will open against the Broncos at 1 p.m. ET on Friday, January 25. They will play again on Saturday, contesting either the regional consolation match at Noon ET or the regional championship at 4 p.m. ET.
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No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 23 Michigan State
Doubles Results
- Baris/Radjenovic (MSU) def. Breysach/Weekes (UK) 6-4
- Stephenson/Loutit (UK) vs. No. 107 Forbes/Sheldon (MSU) 4-5 (unfinished)
- No. 66 Al-Azmeh/Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Ghibaudo/Cosnet(UK) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles Results
- No. 8 Ozan Baris (MSU) def. Antoine Ghibaudo (UK) 6-1, 7-6 (6)
- No. 27 Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. No. 39 Jaden Weekes (UK) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
- No. 83 Max Sheldon (MSU) def. No. 79 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) 6-4, 6-4
- Jack Loutit (UK) def. No. 40 Matthew Forbes (MSU) 6-3, 7-6 (10)
- Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Vuk Radjenovic (MSU) 2-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4
- Taym Al-Azmeh (MSU) def. Martin Breysach (UK) 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2, 4, 6, 5
‑ GO CATS –
For more information contact:
Ben Slack (bslack012@uky.edu, 270-893-4546)
