Kentucky Drops Nailbiter at No. 16 South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Kentucky (12-8, 3-5 SEC) once again fell victim to the final set tiebreaker, dropping a tough, 4-2 result at No. 16 South Carolina (11-5, 4-4 SEC) on Friday evening.
Kentucky nearly pulled off a heroic comeback effort from 3-0 down, with three of the final four courts needing a tiebreaker in the final set to decide matters. Kentucky was able to win one of those breakers and held match point in another, but the Cats could not pull off the feat on the final court.
The Cats’ last four losses have come via final set tiebreakers on the last court of the match.
South Carolina took the early lead with a pair of wins in doubles. No. 88 Sean Daryabeigi and Max Stenzer were the first to win for the Gamecocks, pulling off a 6-1 win over Martin Breysach and Charlelie Cosnet. The home squad clinched the opening point when Charlie Swaine and Gabe Avram defeated Mikael Arseneault and Matt Rankin, 6-4, on court three.
No. 24 Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson were in a battle against No. 8 Paul Barbier Gazeu and Lucas da Silva, with the match on serve at 5-4 when play concluded.
In singles play, the two sides could barely be separated. Each side won the first set on three of the six courts and the opposite team winning the second sets on all six courts, forcing all singles matches into final sets.
The Gamecocks placed the first two points on the board in the second session, taking a 3-0 lead. No. 57 Daryabeigi was able to flip a deficit of a set and a break against No. 99 Nicolas Arseneault for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 comeback win at court two. No. 105 Barbier Gazeu added the penultimate point with a back-and-forth win over Jaden Weekes, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
At this point, the final four courts were deadlocked and the Wildcats needed to pull off wins on all four. Mikael Arseneault led the comeback charge on court six, taking a 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (4) win over Swaine. The freshman Wildcat stormed back from a 5-2 deficit to claim the opening set before rebounding from a second set loss and multiple missed opportunities on break points in the third to claim the final set tiebreaker.
No. 89 Cosnet added the Cats’ second point at court five, defeating Avram in come-from-behind fashion, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Cosnet recovered from deficits in both the sets he won, claiming the final five games of the match to seal the victory.
The final two courts saw matches go into deciding point tiebreakers. The clinching victory from South Carolina would come at court four, as Stenzer outlasted No. 55 Loutit, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6). Loutit was able to break Stenzer when he was serving for the match at 5-4 in the third and save a pair of match points in the breaker, but ultimately fell short to the homestanding Gamecock.
No. 22 Eli Stephenson held a match point at court one when play was suspended. The Louisville native was sitting with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-6 (10-9) advantage over No. 15 da Silva and was on the precipice of tying the match at 3-3 when Loutit was defeated at court four.
The Wildcats will return home to close the weekend, hosting No. 3 Texas on Sunday, March 22 at 1 p.m. ET at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex. Admission 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. 16 South Carolina
Doubles Results
- No. 24 Loutit/Stephenson (UK) vs. No. 8 Barbier Gazeu/da Silva (USC) 4-5 (unfinished)
- No. 88 Daryabeigi/Stenzer (USC) def. Breysach/Cosnet (UK) 6-1
- Swaine/Avram (USC) def. M. Arseneault/Rankin (UK) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles Results
- No. 22 Eli Stephenson (UK) vs. No. 15 Lucas da Silva (USC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-6 (10-9) (unfinished)
- No. 57 Sean Daryabeigi (USC) def. No. 99 Nicolas Arseneault (UK) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
- No. 105 Paul Barbier Gazeu (USC) def. Jaden Weekes (UK) 6-4, 5-7, 6-2
- Max Stenzer (USC) def. No. 55 Jack Loutit (UK) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (6)
- No. 89 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Gabe Avram (USC) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
- Mikael Arseneault (UK) def. Charlie Swaine (USC) 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (4)
Order of finish: 2, 3, 6, 5, 4
