Kentucky men's tennis bounces back to snag first SEC win

It wasn’t the easiest of wins for No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis this past Saturday in College Station. Kentucky squeaked past a pesky Texas A&M team who were determined to make it a difficult match for the 13-2 (1-1) Wildcats. UK is now .500 in SEC play after they dropped the conference opener against No. 6 South Carolina.

A pivotal 4-3 win in College Station saw Kentucky wake up from a recent two-match skid. The Aggies showed they wouldn’t give in after falling behind early and were able to use singles play to get back into the match. Overall, the ‘Cats were very solid and looked complete from start to finish. They answered a big question about their doubles play — for now.

This week will look similar for Kentucky in terms of dates of play. It’s another Thursday-Saturday schedule for the Wildcats, who won’t have to leave Lexington.

Lessons learned

Kentucky didn’t earn the doubles point in Thursday’s loss to the Gamecocks, but Saturday was a different story. Although the No. 1 pairing of Alafia Ayeni and Taha Baadi was defeated in doubles 6-4, the two other pairings bailed them out. Liam Draxl and Jaden Weekes continued their individual play from Thursday night’s singles, where they both won. This time, the two put their powers together and were able to win their doubles match 6-3. Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer then sealed the deal with a 6-4 win. Kentucky was going into singles action up 1-0.

The Freshman Frenchman, Charlelie Cosnet, was taken down in straight sets 1-6, 1-6 and Texas A&M had tied the overall matchup. Cosnet, who unfortunately wasn’t able to win the match for Kentucky on Thursday night, has lost his last three singles matches. His loss was quickly avenged by Ayeni who propelled the ‘Cats to a 2-1 lead in the match. Ayeni won in straight sets 7-6, 6-4.

Put a point up for the Cats!

Ayeni def. Perot: 7-6, 6-4✅

UK 2 | A&M 1

📺: https://t.co/iqQfDk78La#WeAreUK 🔵😺🎾 pic.twitter.com/zMq8sfLTuZ

— Kentucky Men's Tennis (@UKMensTennis) March 4, 2023

However, after Ayeni’s win, the match was flipped on its head. Kentucky went from controlling everything to trailing in just a matter of time. While Weekes and Draxl were a dominant doubles duo, they struggled when on their own.

Weekes dropped his singles match in a lengthy three sets, allowing A&M to tie the overall match score 2-2. Draxl, who was so sharp versus the Gamecocks and looked like he’d found his crushing form, was flustered in straight sets in first singles. The ITA All-American is so often given the other team’s top dog and normally Draxl is able to figure them out, that wasn’t the case on Saturday. He fell 3-6, 6-7 and Kentucky was in trouble.

0-2 was a possibility?

Well yes, the Aggies suddenly needed one victory from either two matches remaining to send Kentucky home with a 0-2 SEC record. Easier than it sounds when you deal with these ‘Cats. “I like my team,” could prove to be a very fitting quote when it comes to this squad.

Baadi and Lapadat were the only Wildcats still in action and they both needed to win. Baadi was already down early after failing to win his first set. He rallied and gave Kentucky hope with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. Ice water in his veins. Baadi has been that guy in singles. He’s 10-1 so far in this campaign — with the match in the balance, he was exactly who Kentucky needed on the court.

That put Lapadat in a huge position. Kentucky loves these final matches that determine the final outcome. On Thursday it was Cosnet, and on Saturday, Lapadat was thrown into the fray. If Baadi is clutch, that makes Lapadat the “clutchest.”

Cooler than a lake in the winter, Lapadat had a statement victory in straight sets. He won 7-6(4), 7-5. It was definitely a tight affair, but the junior didn’t even drop a set and came through for Kentucky. An oh-by-the-way should be to tell you that Lapadat has 11 singles victories this season. The highest on the squad. Sign me up for Lapadat and Baadi late in matches. That seems to be Kentucky’s golden ticket.

Kentucky’s future

Lapadat’s final match win made the trip home a whole lot sweeter. Kentucky’s 4-3 win over A&M gave the ‘Cats their first dub in the SEC action. The Boone Tennis Complex will await these Wildcats for two more conference tilts this week.

First up is the LSU Tigers who come to Lexington on Thursday, March 9, and then Arkansas makes its way to town on Saturday, March 11. Both squads come to the Bluegrass outside of the top 25.

The Tigers and Razorbacks are both winless in the SEC up to this point. If there’s one thing we’ve learned so far, it’s that no matter the opponent, winning in this conference is going to be a battle. I guess SEC Tennis just means a little bit more.