Kentucky Sweeps NKU in Final Non-Conference Doubleheader
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky (7-2, 0-0 SEC) opened its final weekend of non-conference play with a doubleheader sweep over Northern Kentucky (1-2, 0-0 HL) on Friday at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center. The Wildcats extended their home winning streak to 34 consecutive matches after 6-0 and 4-0 victories over the Norse. Overall, the Wildcats have now won four matches in a row after wins over Louisville and No. 15 Duke last weekend.
The morning action commenced with doubles play, where the Wildcats secured the point early following identical 6-2 wins on courts two and three. Jaden Weekes and Matt Rankin breezed past with NKU’s Ranciaro and Puig, with Martin Breysach and Mikael Arseneault shortly behind, defeating Pimenta and Salvador. No. 35 Eli Stephenson and Jack Loutit maintained a 5-3 advantage on court one when the doubles point was clinched.
In singles play, Kentucky continued its early dominance, taking all four opening sets. No. 20 Stephenson claimed the first singles point for the Wildcats, delivering a convincing 6-1, 6-0 win over Emilio Bravo. On court three, Weekes swiftly secured the next singles point, defeating Jackson Poulos 6-1, 6-3. Following suit, No. 30 Loutit clinched the fourth point of the match for the Wildcats, defeating NKU’s Joao Pimenta 6-3, 6-4. The remaining games played out, where on court four, freshman Makael Arseneault played three sets against Mateus Ranciaro, winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 after falling in the second. Martin Breysach competed in an 8-game pro set to round out match one, winning 8-2.
After the break, the Wildcats picked up where they left off. Weekes and Rankin were again quickly victorious on court three, earning Kentucky’s first doubles win with a dominant 6-0 result. Stephenson and Loutit went game-for-gameearly against NKU’s Pimenta and Ranciaro, but the NKU pair eventually claimed the victory 6-4. The doubles point was finally earned when Breysach and M. Arseneault bested Poulos and Bravo on court two in a 6-4 victory, securing Kentucky its second doubles victory of the day.
In the backstretch, Kentucky carried its success into singles play, seeing another quick finish from Stephenson on court one, defeating NKU’s Pimenta 6-0, 6-0. Not long after the double bagel, M. Arseneault glided to a 6-0, 6-2 victory on court four to put the Wildcats within one point of clinching. The win was secured with a straight set victory by Loutit on court three, going 6-1, 6-0, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 finish in their second match. Weekes’ match against NKU’s Bravo went unfinished, but he secured a 7-6 first-set victory, winning the tiebreak 7-4 before the match ended. With the 6-0 and 4-0 wins over Northern Kentucky, Kentucky claimed its third and fourth sweeps of the regular season.
Kentucky is set to close out non-conference play against No. 25 Illinois on Sunday, February 8 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Center. This will be the second matchup between the Wildcats and the Fighting Illini this season, with Kentucky falling 4-2 in the first meeting. Admission to all regular season home matches is free to the public.
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky (Match 1)
Doubles Results
1. No. 35 Stephenson/Loutit (UK) vs. Poulos/Bravo (NKU) 5-3 (unfinished)
2. Breysach/M. Arseneault (UK) def. Pimenta/Salvador (NKU) 6-2
3. Weekes/Rankin (UK) def. Ranciaro/Puig (NKU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2
Singles Results
1. No. 20 Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Emilio Bravo (NKU) 6-1, 6-0
2. No. 30 Jack Loutit (UK) def. Joao Pimenta (NKU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Jackson Poulos (NKU) 6-1, 6-3
4. Mikael Arseneault (UK) def. Mateus Ranciaro (NKU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
5. Martin Breysach (UK) def. Dugan Fowler (NKU) 8-2
6. Matt Rankin (UK) vs. Arnau Puig Juanpere (NKU) (unfinished)
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2, 4, 5
Kentucky vs. Northern Kentucky (Match 2)
Doubles Results
1. Pimenta/Ranciaro (NKU) def. No. 35 Stephenson/Loutit (UK) 6-4
2. Breysach/M. Arseneault (UK) def. Poulos/Bravo (NKU) 6-4
3. Weekes/Rankin (UK) def. Fowler/Puig (NKU) 6-0
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Results
1. No. 20 Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Joao Pimenta (NKU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Jaden Weekes (UK) vs. Emilio Bravo (NKU) 7-6 (7-4) (unfinished)
3. No. 30 Jack Loutit (UK) def. Hector Salvador (NKU) 6-1, 6-0
4. Mikael Arseneault (UK) def. Arnau Puig Juanpere (NKU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Martin Breysach (UK) vs. Mateus Ranciaro (NKU) (unfinished)
6. Matt Rankin (UK) vs. Jackson Poulos (NKU) (unfinished)
Order of finish: 1, 4, 3
