Men’s Tennis Concludes Season in NCAA First Round

COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 25 Kentucky (17-14, 5-9 SEC) saw its season come to a close in the First Round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship, dropping a 4-3 decision to California (17-13, 6-7 ACC) at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Despite the result, the Wildcats were still able to make the program’s tenth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 33rd all-time.

The Cats claimed the doubles points are secured singles wins from freshmen Nicolas and Mikael Arseneault, but the Golden Bears took wins on courts one, three, four, and five to advance to tomorrow’s Second Round.

Kentucky was able to claim the first point of the match in a tight doubles session, securing wins on courts one and three. Despite early breaks for Kentucky on three courts, all three matches went to extra games including a tiebreaker to decide the point.

Cal claimed the first win, as Fryderyck Lechino-Wasiutyski and Tiago Silva defeated No. 85 Martin Breysach and Charlelie Cosnet, 7-5, on court two. Kentucky responded as No. 16 Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson claimed a top 30 battle on court one, knocking off No. 30 Alex Aney and Timofey Stepanov, 7-5. The Wildcats sealed the early advantage as Nicolas Arseneault and Jaden Weekes outlasted Bernardo Munk Mesa and Paris Pouachta, 7-6 (5), on court three.

In singles, Cal responded by claiming first sets on four of the six courts. Munk Mesa tied the match at court three, defeating Weekes, 7-5, 6-0.

Freshman Mikael Arseneault made a statement in his NCAA Tournament debut, restoring the Wildcat lead with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Winson Lee on court six.

The Golden Bears tied the match in quick succession with Pouachta victorious over Cosnet on court four, 6-4, 6-2.

No. 59 Nicolas Arseneault pushed the Cats within one point of victory as the rookie delivered a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Silva on court two.

Cal evened the match at three on court one, as Stepanov rallied from early break deficits in both sets to finish off a 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 23 Stephenson.

The Golden Bears would take their only lead of the match with a clinching victory on court five. In the dual’s only three set match, No. 82 Loutit responded from a first set loss to push his match to the distance. However, the first two games went the way of Lenn Luemkemann on deciding points and the Golden Bear was able to finish the job with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 decision.

For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.

No. 25 Kentucky vs. California

Doubles Results

1. No. 16 Loutit/Stephenson (UK) def. No. 30 Aney/Stepanov (CAL) 7-5
2. Lechno-Wasiutyski/Silva (CAL) def. No. 85 Breysach/Cosnet (UK) 7-5
3. N. Arseneault/Weekes (UK) def. Munk Mesa/Pouatcha (CAL) 7-6 (5)

Order of finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles Results

1. Timofey Stepanov (CAL) def. No. 23 Eli Stephenson (UK) 7-5, 6-4
2. No. 59 Nicolas Arseneault (UK) def. Tiago Silva (CAL) 6-4, 6-3
3. Bernardo Munk Mesa (CAL) def. Jaden Weekes (UK) 7-5, 6-0
4. Paris Pouatcha (CAL) def. Charlelie Cosnet (UK) 6-4, 6-2
5. Lenn Luemkemann (CAL) def. No. 82 Jack Loutit (UK) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
6. Mikael Arseneault (UK) def. Winston Lee (CAL) 6-1, 6-2

Order of finish: 3, 6, 4, 2, 1, 5