Alabama Men’s Tennis Grinds Out Win Over No. 15 Kentucky, 4-3

Friday, February 26

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

6 p.m. CT

Alabama

Kentucky

Alabama Men’s Tennis Grinds Out Win Over No. 15 Kentucky, 4-3

2/26/2021 11:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Crimson Tide came back from match point at No. 1 to win the doubles point and then, with the score at 3-3, gutted out a three-setter to clinch the match at No. 6 singles

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team battled from the first serve on to beat No. 15 Kentucky, 4-3, Friday night under the lights at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

After splitting doubles matches at Nos. 2 and 3, the Crimson Tide duo of Patrick Kaukovalta and Riccardo Roberto battled back from match point, down 40-0, to tie things up at 6-6 before winning the tiebreaker and giving UA the doubles point.

In singles, Alabama picked up wins on courts 2 and 5, while the Wildcats won at 1, 3 and 4 to make it 3-3, with Alexey Nesterov left at No. 6. Earlier in the match, Nesterov and Edson Ortiz won at No. 3 doubles to help secure the doubles point. Nesterov dropped the first set in a 7-6(4) tiebreaker before storming back to get the win by matching 6-1, 6-1 scores in the last two sets.

With the win, Alabama goes to 9-4 on the season, while the Wildcats drop to 11-3.

Alabama 4, #15 Kentucky 3

Singles competition

No. 1. #45 Liam Draxl (UK) def. Zhe Zhou (UA) 6-2, 7-5
No. 2. #89 Edson Ortiz (UA) def. Gabriel Diallo (UK) 6-4, 6-3
No. 3. Millen Hurrion (UK) def. Patrick Kaukovalta (UA) 6-1, 6-1
No. 4. Cesar Bourgois (UK) def. Gabriel Diaz Freire (UA) 7-6(2), 6-3
No. 5. Riccardo Roberto (UA) def. #123 Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-1, 6-3
No. 6. Alexey Nesterov (UA) def. Yasha Zemel (UK) 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1 Patrick Kaukovalta/Riccardo Roberto (UA) def. Cesar Bourgois/Gabriel Diallo (UK) 7-6(4)
No. 2 Millen Hurrion/Yasha Zemel (UK) def. Gabriel Diaz Freire/Zhe Zhou (UA) 6-3
No. 3 Alexey Nesterov/Edson Ortiz (UA) def. Joshua Lapadat/Liam Draxl (UK) 6-4

Up Next

The Tide will face the Vanderbilt Commodores Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
Due to health and safety considerations in addition to the current guidelines, attendance at Alabama tennis home competitions is on a first-come, first-served basis until reaching capacity if the matches are played outdoors
Facial coverings must be worn at all times unless eating or drinking
If matches are played indoors, there will be no spectators allowed

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