Last day of school: Kentucky men's tennis ends regular season with a win

No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis wrapped up its regular season with a complete team performance in Gainesville while improving their record to 21-4 (9-3).

The road ‘Cats were dominant from start to finish, vanquishing Florida 5-2 and picking up the first win at Florida in 13 years. Kentucky loves them some gator meat considering it’s the second time this season that the Wildcats have toppled the Gators. The first coming at the ITA Indoor Championships in mid-February.

Kentucky has been up and down the last two weeks. A road trip earlier in the month saw the Wildcats drop consecutive matches against Georgia and Tennessee while falling out of the race for the regular season SEC crown. However, after beating Florida on Friday, the ‘Cats wrapped up the regular season with two straight wins. A much better way to go into the SEC Tournament if you ask me.

The triumph over the Gators is Kentucky’s seventh ranked win of the season. More importantly, Friday was a top-to-bottom brilliant display. From doubles to singles, the ‘Cats demonstrated why they’re a top-five team in the land. This team is tricky in the way that we’ve seen these displays before; certainly, they’re capable of being anyone. However, there are days when Kentucky looks uninspired and like a notch was never turned up.

Friday wasn’t a surprise I’d say but more of a “Don’t forget about us” moment.

Do NOT forget about them

It would be foolish to disregard this uber-talented Kentucky team. They have threats in singles action from court one to court six. Doubles has been a different story for the Wildcats this year. Early on in the season, it seemed as if UK would have to come from behind to win matches because they’d drop the doubles point. A seven-match win streak saw them win seven-straight doubles points. Funny how that works. Coming into Friday though, Kentucky had lost three straight doubles points.

That narrative was going to be changed. In No. 3 doubles, Liam Draxl and Jaden Weekes ground out a 6-3 win. The No. 1 pairing of Alafia Ayeni and Taha Baadi was defeated, so court two had the ultimate showdown. In a tiebreaker, JJ Mercer and Joshua Lapadat were victorious and gave Kentucky a 1-0 lead in the match. Not too shabby considering Florida had won its last eight doubles matchups. Doubles are back!

In singles play, Kentucky looked fantastic. Jaden Weekes was able to grab his second win of the day. The freshman cruised to a straight-set 6-3, 6-4 win. Following suit was Ayeni who also dismantled his opponent in straights. Ayeni got the dub via a 6-3, 7-5 performance and the ‘Cats were one point away from a sweep up 3-0.

Florida would get a singles point back making it 3-1, but it wouldn’t end up mattering. Hailing all the way from Le Mans, France, Charlelie Cosnet sealed the deal. The freshman battled back after dropping the first set. Cosnet won the dramatic clincher 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. He just loves a match-clinching win, as he’s shown all season long. The final match score saw Kentucky safely win 5-2 after Baadi was able to clinch another point for the road Wildcats. Draxl and Lapadat were the only ones who lost in singles.

Postseason time for Kentucky

Okay, here is where the season gets real exciting.

Kentucky’s regular season campaign has concluded. The ‘Cats lost four total times. Once at home (South Carolina), once at a neutral site (TCU), and twice on the road (Georgia and Tennessee). That’s quite impressive but we expected this from a team that went to the National Championship last season, right? Still, give credit where credit is due.

The SEC Tournament is set to begin on Wednesday, April 19. On a broader scale, Kentucky put itself in a great position for a top-eight seed once the NCAA Tournament rolls around. That would mean an extended homestand.

Kentucky men’s 🎾 knocks of Florida 4-1 for their first win in Gainesville in 13 years. Looks like UK is on track for a top 8 seed in NCAA tournament meaning they wouldn’t have to leave Lexington for first 3 rounds. Cosnet with the clinch on 6. Ayeni & Weekes also won.

— Troy Howell (@teeroyhowell) April 15, 2023

However, first comes the SEC Tournament. One stop at a time, one match at a time. A new chapter begins.