Where Kentucky men's tennis stands halfway through 2023 season

13 matches into the 2023 season with 12 still to play, Kentucky men’s tennis stands tall at 12-1 and ranked No. 5 in the country. The beginning of the season couldn’t have gone any better for the Wildcats until they faced off against third-ranked TCU a week ago. Kentucky opened its campaign on a 12-match winning streak, which included some massive victories along the road.

Currently, four of Kentucky’s 12 wins have come against ranked opponents, a testament to a strong non-conference schedule. The ‘Cats rattled off five-consecutive ACC wins during this time. They entered the ITA National Indoor Championships as one of the hottest — if not the hottest — teams in the country.

Kentucky was 10-0 when they entered the Windy City for the ITA Indoors. Here, they met up with some of the nation’s best in a clash of the titans-esque mid-season tournament. For argument’s sake, we’ll divide this post into Pre-ITA Indoor and Post-ITA Indoor segments.

Out the gates swinging

Kentucky faced some big names along the way such as Notre Dame and Illinois, but the biggest and baddest name by far came against at the time No. 1 Virginia. The Wildcats boasted a perfect 6-0 record by the time they were ready to take on the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. It was time to see how for real Kentucky was.

At Virginia was Kentucky’s first road match of the season. Safe to say that the stage wasn’t too big for the ‘Cats and that they were indeed for real. Even without ITA All-American, Liam Draxl, UK found ways to win. They were able to snag a crucial doubles point and didn’t look back after that.

Taha Baadi proved himself in the match vs. Virginia. He won a crucial three-set match and ended up getting Kentucky its fourth point, which gave them the victory. This may be the point in the season where Baadi showcased himself as another top-dog player that can compete alongside the already-proven Draxl.

Fast forward a week from Charlottesville and Kentucky had a huge weekend before they were destined for Chicago. At this point in the year, the ‘Cats were 8-0 and had just picked up their highest ITA ranking in program history.

𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐓𝐀 𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆!!!

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📰>>> https://t.co/CqpXkzUYU1#WeAreUK 🔵😺🎾 pic.twitter.com/y6hGGeg3SB

— Kentucky Men's Tennis (@UKMensTennis) February 8, 2023

What did the No. 2 team in the country do after earning their statement ranking? Pick up two home wins against Louisville and Duke, of course. Kentucky fell behind against bitter rival Louisville but was able to prevail. Freshman, Charlelie Cosnet, was able to muster out a three-set win that gave the ‘Cats the win over the Cards.

Two days later, Kentucky handled Duke fairly easily. UK won four of the possible five points before ultimately electing to play out the remainder of the match with the dub already secured.

Just like that, the ‘Cats were 10-0 as they headed to Chicago for the ITA Indoors.

Not your ordinary weekend

No, it really wasn’t. Kentucky faced off with the big boys when talking about tennis royalty and they showed that they belonged amongst the best. Their first foe was a familiar opponent. The Florida Gators were waiting for the ‘Cats in the first round.

Kentucky dominated Florida and ended up winning 4-1 to move into the quarterfinals of the ITA Indoors. The Gators were down from the start with the ‘Cats earning the doubles point. Draxl looked unstoppable in singles play, where he didn’t concede a game. Kentucky’s first-round cruise would set up a date with the USC Trojans.

Florida was ranked No. 15 when Kentucky played them and USC was then-No. 7. The Trojans provided a much greater test than the Gators did.

Baadi’s straight-set singles win put UK up 2-0, but USC quickly stormed back and won three-straight matches. With Kentucky one match away from elimination, Joshua Lapadat and Cosnet saved the ITA dream for the ‘Cats. Cosnet to won his match and tied the overall score at three apiece. Lapadat then rallied after he lost his opening set and came back to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Kentucky was in the Final Four after escaping the Trojans.

This is where the first bump in the road came for Kentucky’s undefeated season. Now-No. 1 TCU proved to be a difficult out for the ‘Cats in their quest to get to the championship match. The doubles point went the way of the Frogs, and from there UK struggled to catch up.

Draxl and Lapadat were the only ‘Cats that won a singles match. Trailing 3-2 in the match, Cosnet wasn’t able to find more magic to extend it further. Kentucky lost 4-2 to TCU and was sent packing from the ITA Indoors. Their loss wasn’t exactly a poor one considering TCU went on to win the tournament.

Now what?

Kentucky is 12-1 halfway through the season. The only loss comes at the hands of the current best team in the country. I would think that’s pretty understandable, however, the road doesn’t get easier.

With 12 matches remaining, the ‘Cats will open conference play on Thursday, March 2 vs. No. 6 South Carolina. Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi State, and Florida are all top-25 teams and will face Kentucky down the stretch. Big opportunities await this Blue and White squad.

Right now, Kentucky is one of the country’s best teams, and they showed that in Chicago. The business end of the SEC schedule will come sooner than people think and the Wildcats will have to show out once again.

The hype regarding this squad should be palpable. This is a dangerous and national title-contending roster. Welcome to tennis season in the Bluegrass.