Kentucky Battles Past No. 15 Duke
LEXINGTON, Ky. – In a gritty, four-hour match, Kentucky (4-2, 0-0 SEC) earned a 4-2 upset victory over No. 15 Duke (4-3, 0-0 ACC) on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Wildcats extended their winning streak at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex to 32 consecutive matches, dating back to 2024.
The Wildcats, who are receiving votes in the latest ITA Coaches Poll, move to 2-1 against top 25 teams this season.
Kentucky won the doubles point for the third consecutive match, taking the lead with wins on courts two and three. Martin Breysach and Antoine Ghibaudo raced out to a 5-0 advantage on court three, eventually sealing their third consecutive win with a 6-2 victory. The Blue Devils would bounce back to snap No. 69 Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson’s two-match winning streak, as Pedro Rodenas and Cooper Williams claimed a 6-4 victory at the top court.
For the fourth time in the last five matches, the Wildcats saw the doubles point come down to a tiebreaker on the final court. After 12 consecutive service holds, Nicolas Arseneault and Jaden Weekes were victorious in the deciding game, claiming a 7-6 (4) win to give Kentucky a 1-0 lead in the dual.
In singles play, No. 19 Stephenson was the first Wildcat to claim a point once again, delivering a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win over Alexander Visser. After dropping his opening service game, Stephenson battled back in the first frame to push the set into a tiebreaker, dominating the decider. In the second set, both players traded fairly clinical service holds for the first seven games. Serving a 3-4, Stephenson would recover from a 0-40 deficit to maintain the pace, eventually breaking Visser in the following return game. Serving for the match, Stephenson would once again save multiple break point, recovering from 15-40 down to eventually serve out the match. The Louisville native earned his team-leading 16th win of the season and is now 5-0 in dual matches.
Kentucky extended its lead in the dual to 3-0 after a comeback win from Ghibaudo on court one. Trailing by a set and a break to two-time All-American Cooper Williams, the Paris native won five of the final six games of the second set to extend the match. Down an early break in the third set, the All-SEC First Team member reeled off four consecutive games to flip the script and gain the advantage. Serving for the match, Ghibaudo held at love and sealed the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win with an ace.
Duke would respond with a pair of comeback wins to whittle the Wildcat lead to 3-2. On court four, Gerald Planelles Ripoll defeated No. 26 Loutit, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3). After dropping the opening set, Loutit rattled off 11 out of 15 games, holding a 5-2 lead in the deciding frame. Despite serving for the match, Loutit was unable to seal the deal and ultimately fell in a final set tiebreaker.
On court two, freshman Nicolas Arseneault claimed the opening set over two-time All-American Pedro Rodenas, but could not win a second set tiebreaker to seal the win and ultimately dropped a 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2 decision.
No. 124 Mikael Arseneault delivered the clinching blow for the second time this weekend, dominating Saahith Jayaraman at court No. 6 with a 6-1, 6-1 victory. Over the course of two matches this weekend, Arseneault only dropped three games across four sets of play.
Weekes had won the first set and was in the midst of a second set tiebreaker on court No. 5 when the match concluded.
The Wildcats will close out non-conference play next weekend, hosting Northern Kentucky for a doubleheader on Friday, February 6 and welcoming Illinois at Noon ET on Sunday, February 8. Admission to all regular season home matches at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex is free to the public.
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
Kentucky vs. No. 15 Duke
Doubles Results
- Williams/Rodenas (DUKE) def. No. 69 Loutit/Stephenson (UK) 6-4
- N. Arseneault/Weekes (UK) def. Long/Planelles Ripoll (DUKE) 7-6 (4)
- Breysach/Ghibaudo (UK) def. Truwit/Visser (DUKE) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Results
- Antoine Ghibaudo (UK) def. Cooper Williams (DUKE) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
- Pedro Rodenas (DUKE) def. Nicolas Arsenault (UK) 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-2
- No. 19 Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Alexander Visser (DUKE) 7-6 (2), 6-4
- Gerald Planelles Ripoll (DUKE) def. No. 26 Jack Loutit (UK) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3)
- Jaden Weekes (UK) vs. Dylan Long (DUKE) 6-3, 6-6 (1-3) (unfinished)
- No. 124 Mikael Arseneault (UK) def. Saahith Jayaraman (DUKE) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 4, 2, 6
