Alabama
Kentucky
No. 17 Men's Tennis Drops Tightly Contested Home Match to Kentucky, 4-3
3/6/2020 10:46:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide will look to bounce back on Sunday against Vanderbilt
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – After senior Edson Ortiz tied the match up at 3-3 with his singles win on court one, the No. 17 Alabama men's tennis team could not seal the win as No. 49 Kentucky came out victorious on court six to take the match, 4-3, on Friday night at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
With the loss the Crimson Tide falls to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play, while the Wildcats move to 11-5 on the season, including 2-1 in SEC competition.
From Coach Husack
- "We played doubles with a great sense of purpose, we were going for our shots and competed with conviction," head coach George Husack said. "The start of singles saw the same theme, but we hit the brakes and got caught at the finish line. We're a better team than that and must rest and respond on Sunday."
Doubles
- Kentucky jumped in front with its 6-3 win on court one. Alabama did not faulter, as the Tide responded with two 6-4 victories on court three and court two. Junior Riccardo Roberto and senior Zhe Zhou downed Huempfner/LeBlanc at the No. 3 spot, before Ortiz and freshman Marcelo Sepulveda Garza put UA up 1-0 with their win over Diallo/Hurrion at the No. 2 spot.
Singles
- The Wildcats answered in singles play by claiming the first three matches on courts four, five and two. No. 74 Ortiz knotted things up at 3-3 with his 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, victory over Liam Draxl. The match came down to court six where Kento Yamada defeated junior Jeremy Gschwendtner 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, to clinch the 4-3 win.
Up Next
- The Tide will be back in action on Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m. CT to take on No. 45 Vanderbilt at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
- Sunday's match is Kid's Day with giveaways, to go along with free hot dogs and hamburgers provided by the Crimson Racket Club. Big Al, along with students and parents from Holy Spirit Catholic School will be at the match. Admission to Alabama Tennis is always free.
Alabama Results
Singles
- No. 74 Edson Ortiz def. Liam Draxl, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
- Millen Hurrion def. Zhe Zhou, 6-2, 6-4
- Cesar Bourgois def. Riccardo Roberto, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
- Patrick Kaukovalta def. Gabriel Diallo, 6-2, 6-2
- No. 83 Alexandre LeBlanc def. Alexey Nesterov, 7-6(3), 6-2
- Kento Yamada def. Jeremy Gschwendtner, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 3, 1, 6
Doubles
- Draxl/Bourgois def. Kaukovalta/Nesterov, 6-3
- Ortiz/Sepulveda Garza def. Diallo/Hurrion, 6-4
- Roberto/Zhou def. Huempfner/LeBlanc, 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
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Players Mentioned
