Singles Attack Pushes Kentucky Past Vanderbilt, 4-2
LEXINGTON, Ky.– Fresh off his first win since January 24, sophomore Eli Stephenson recorded his second singles victory of the weekend to clinch Kentucky’s (11-6, 4-3 SEC) 4-2 victory over Vanderbilt (8-9, 1-6 SEC). The Cats also saw wins from Antoine Ghibaudo, Jack Loutit, and Jaden Weekes to secure its second straight win and move to 9-0 in home matches this season.
Vanderbilt opened the match by taking the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Despite having a break advantage twice in the match, Kentucky’s No. 3 pair of Charlelie Cosnet and Martin Breysach dropped a 6-4 decision to Dylan Charlap and Henry Ruger.
The Cats evened up the opening session with another ranked win from Stephenson and Loutit. The sophomore duo defeated No. 28 Nathan Cox and Michael Ross, 7-5, to win their third consecutive match, all against ranked opponents.
The doubles point would come down to court two, where Ghibaudo and Weekes were unable to serve out a 5-3 lead, eventually falling in a 7-6 (5) tiebreak decision to Danil Panarin and Pablo Martinez-Gomez.
Vanderbilt extended its lead to 2-0 with a win on court four, as Michael Ross defeated No. 105 Cosnet in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4. However, the Cats took the opening sets on the remaining three courts in the opening flight to seize momentum.
Ghibaudo made his return to the singles court for the first time in two weeks in triumphant fashion, easily defeating Cox in a 6-2, 6-3 contest that scored the Cats’ first point of the day.
No. 121 Loutit was able to even the match at two apiece with a straight sets victory on court two, taking down Panarin in a routine 6-3, 6-4 match. The Kiwi continued his fine form, moving his singles record to a team-leading 11-2 on the 2025 dual season.
No. 53 Weekes was able to give Kentucky a lead it would not relinquish with a gutsy victory on court three. The Wildcat took the first set and seemed as if he would cruise to the finish line, but the second frame ultimately wound up in a tiebreaker that Martinez Gomez would win. Pushed to a decider, Weekes saved multiple break points throughout the set and worked his way into a 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3 victory.
Stephenson was able to deliver the clinching win in commanding fashion, downing Hugo Coquelin 6-0, 6-2. Stephenson won the first 11 games of the match and had a match point to secure the double bagel, but Coquelin extended the inevitable for only a pair of games. After snapping his career-long five match losing streak on Thursday, Stephenson strung together a pair of singles victories this weekend to pair with his two ranked doubles victories alongside Loutit.
The Cats will hit the road for a season-high four consecutive matches away from Lexington, beginning in Alabama next weekend. Kentucky will play at Auburn on Thursday, March 20 at 4 p.m. ET before heading to Tuscaloosa to face the Crimson Tide at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 22.
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No. 33 Kentucky vs. No. 48 Vanderbilt
Doubles Results
- Stephenson/Loutit (UK) def. No. 28 Ross/Cox (VU) 7-5
- Panarin/Martinez-Gomez (VU) def. Ghibaudo/Weekes (UK) 7-6 (5)
- Charlap/Ruger (VU) def. Breysach/Cosnet (UK) 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Results
- No. 70 Antoine Ghibaudo (UK) def. Nathan Cox (VU) 6-2, 6-3
- No. 121 Jack Loutit (UK) def. Danil Panarin (VU) 6-3, 6-4
- No. 53 Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Pablo Martinez-Gomez (VU) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3
- Michael Ross (VU) def. No. 105 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) 6-1, 6-4
- Matt Rankin (UK) vs. Henry Ruger (VU) 0-6, 6-3, 0-1 (unfinished)
- Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Hugo Coquelin (VU) 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 1, 2, 3, 5
