That's efficiency: Kentucky men's tennis sweeps Ole Miss
That’s six-straight wins for No. 6 Kentucky men’s tennis after a perfect 4-0 home victory against Ole Miss. It was all Kentucky, all the time inside the Hilary Boone Center on Friday night. The sweep moves the ‘Cats to 18-2 (6-1) on the season.
Kentucky’s six-match win streak comes all at the expense of SEC opponents. They have been perfect after dropping the SEC home opener vs. the Gamecocks. This good mojo and excellent run of form see the Wildcats in second place in the conference, only chasing Georgia at this point.
If Kentucky is to compete for an SEC crown, it’s going to need depth in both the singles and doubles departments. We are beginning to see the extent of that. For those counting at home, the ‘Cats snagged their sixth doubles point in a row — looks like some fixing has been made in that department after early season struggles.
The No. 1 doubles pairing of Taha Baadi and Alafia Ayeni rolled on to a 6-3 win. This duo has now won its last five matches in the top spot. Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer then got on the board and won their doubles set. Lapadat and Mercer won comfortably 6-3, and Kentucky had a 1-0 lead going into singles action.
Lapadat and Baadi wouldn’t be close to done once doubles came to a close.
Three matches, three wins
Lapadat was a man on a mission once singles rolled around the corner. He completely blanked his Rebel opponent, not allowing him to get on the board once. Lapadat won 12 games in a row and just like that, Kentucky had picked up its second point of the match. Lapadat’s 6-0, 6-0 win assured it. His record is as good as anyone’s on the team for singles.
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If you’re thinking of a 1v1 specialist, Lapadat fits the mold.
Next up it was Baadi who reached two wins on the day. It wasn’t just a doubles day of Baadi, seeing that his straight-set win put Kentucky on the brink of a sweep. Baadi didn’t win with the ease of Lapadat, but he still controlled the match 6-2, 7-5.
It then came to Liam Draxl on court one to seal the sweep for the Wildcats.
Draxl defeated No. 66 Nikola Slavic in straight sets to clinch a 4-0 win for Kentucky. Draxl’s 6-4, 6-1 effort was perfect for a menu of sweeping. Brooms for me, brooms for you, brooms for everybody. In fact, Draxl, the ITA All-American, picked up his seventh win over a ranked opponent in the new year, which is the most of anyone in the squad.
Top-15 battle
Calling out to College Gameday for college tennis! A top-15 showdown awaits us in Lexington on Sunday between No. 6 Kentucky and No. 12 Mississippi State. Wow, this one should be a blast. The Bulldogs are 15-3 (3-2) this season, sporting an impressive record.
Talk about a great test for the ‘Cats. Kentucky hasn’t seen a top-15 squad since the opening SEC loss to South Carolina. Now you give this team six matches to heat up before Mississippi State comes to town. I would think they’re prepared by the time this new challenge presents itself inside the Boone Center.
The thing about SEC tennis is…anything can happen. Breathe it in, that’s tennis scent.
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