No. 5 Kentucky men's tennis troubled at home in SEC opener

SEC tennis waits for nobody. This afternoon, Kentucky got a bitter reality check and “welcome back” to the SEC moment. No. 5 Kentucky fell to No. 6 South Carolina 4-3 at the Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, KY. The Wildcats’ second consecutive loss drops them to 12-2 (0-1) on the season.

Granted, South Carolina has a heck of a squad, but this is conference play and the SEC has a boatload of challengers. Surely, Kentucky didn’t want to kickoff SEC action with a loss, especially at home but, there will be a handful of “easier” opportunities right around the corner. An eye on the quotes around easier. Maybe a better way to put it is, “matches they should win”.

The Gamecocks hit Kentucky early and the comeback was never able to be completed for the ‘Cats. Perhaps the only negative on Kentucky’s season so far haunted them again on Thursday. The notorious doubles point, reintroduced.

Down from the get-go

Grabbing the doubles point has been Kentucky’s weakness this year. Singles play has been superb; the ‘Cats are almost always able to grab three or four points from singles. However, falling behind to a skilled team like South Carolina was a recipe for trouble. Alafia Ayeni and Taha Baadi fell 6-4 in the opening doubles match. Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer then lost 6-2 and the Gamecocks had stolen the doubles point in Lexington.

Down 1-0, Liam Draxl stepped up and crushed his singles opponent 6-2, 6-2. Perhaps the brightest spot from Thursday night’s loss was Draxl. The ITA All-American is proving exactly why he’s the No. 1 singles option. Draxl was spectacular from start to finish.

No. 27 Draxl (UK) def. No. 6 Samuel (SC): 6-2, 6-2✅

UK 1 | SC 1

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— Kentucky Men's Tennis (@UKMensTennis) March 2, 2023

Draxl’s valiant effort, tying the match up at one apiece, was short-lived because the Gamecocks came back with a vengeance. It really wasn’t Ayeni’s day considering he dropped his singles matchup as well. After falling in the first set, Ayeni forced a tiebreak in the second but ultimately was disappointed 6-4 7-6 (10-8).

Give credit to Kentucky though they continued to tie the match up during crunch time. Lapadat won in straight sets after Ayeni’s defeat and the overall match score was 2-2. Baadi fell 7-5, 7-5 and the never-ending cycle of playing catch-up continued.

The Gamecocks needed one more point to finish the ‘Cats off, but resilient Kentucky refused to die. Freshman Jaden Weekes came through massively. The depth throughout singles play is a positive, specifically Charlelie Cosnet and Weekes turning it up when it matters this season.

Weekes fell in his first set, but resurrected the match in the next two sets. He went into a different gear and rallied in the second and third sets to earn Kentucky a match-saving singles point. Weekes’ forehand tired out Hoole for South Carolina deep into the match. Just like that it was an all-or-nothing match on court six for Cosnet.

Weekes levels the match at three! Court six will decide it.

UK 3 | SC 3

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— Kentucky Men's Tennis (@UKMensTennis) March 3, 2023

Final set heartbreak for Kentucky

It’s a pretty tough spot to be in as a freshman, with the fate of the match in your hands in the final match of the afternoon. That being said, Cosnet has done it before this season. The Frenchman was able to win his first set but after that, the hope diminished.

South Carolina’s Jake Beasley won the following two sets and took the match over Cosnet 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. The Gamecocks had taken down the ‘Cats in Lexington. Welcome to SEC play, ladies and gents. Kentucky has a quick turnaround to get back to .500 in the conference.

The Wildcats will travel to College Station for a Saturday showdown versus Texas A&M. The Aggies moved to 4-4 (1-0) after they beat LSU. Underdogs? No, Kentucky is not. Challenging? Yes, expect every match in the SEC to be challenging going forward. The ‘Cats have a number on their backs now. They still are title contenders even after the South Carolina loss. There’s a lot of tennis to be played still, just remember: The hunted, no longer the hunters.