Alabama
Kentucky
Alabama Men’s Tennis Plays First SEC Road Matches of 2019 This Weekend
3/7/2019 10:43:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide takes on Kentucky Friday at 4 p.m. CT and No. 26 Vanderbilt Sunday at noon CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The No. 17 Alabama men's tennis team will take on Kentucky this weekend in Lexington, Ky. before heading to Nashville, Tenn. to face No. 26 Vanderbilt. The match against the Wildcats will start at 4 p.m. CT, while Sunday's match is scheduled for noon CT.
After defeating LSU 5-2, and coming up short to Texas A&M 4-3 at home last weekend, the Crimson Tide (11-3, 1-1 SEC) moved ahead three spots to No. 17 in the latest Oracle/ITA Team Rankings.
No. 36 Senior Mazen Osama continues to dominate the field, as he leads Alabama with a 9-4 mark in dual play at No. 1 and was named SEC Player of the Week Wednesday. Junior Edson Ortiz has compiled a 11-1 record in singles play, while sophomore Riccardo Roberto has earned a 7-0 mark.
In doubles play this season, UA has been led by No. 17 Osama and sophomore Patrick Kaukovalta, who have compiled a 7-3 record while playing all matches in the No. 1 spot.
Kentucky enters the weekend at 7-7 overall and 1-1 in SEC play after dropping its last league match at Mississippi State, 7-0. The Tide boasts a 26-23-1 record against the Wildcats, winning the last two in the series. Kentucky currently has one player ranked in singles, with Ryotaro Matsumura at No. 44.
No. 26 Vanderbilt heads into the second weekend of league action at 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the SEC after a win at Ole Miss, 4-1. Sunday's match will mark the 65th meeting between the two foes and the Tide leads the series with a 38-26 mark.
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