Alabama Falls to Kentucky in Third Round of SEC Tournament

Friday, April 21

9 a.m. CT

Alabama

Kentucky

Alabama Falls to Kentucky in Third Round of SEC Tournament

4/21/2023 12:11:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

The Alabama men's tennis team fell to the three seed and fifth-ranked team in the country, Kentucky, on Friday

AUBURN, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team fell to the three seed and fifth-ranked team in the country, Kentucky, on Friday. Despite a competitive battle, the Wildcats captured a 4-0 win at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on Friday.

Alabama recorded a strong start off an upset win from Filip Planinsek and German Samofalov on court one as the duo defeated the 23rd-ranked doubles team of Taha Baadi and Alafia Ayeni. Kentucky followed with wins, however, on courts two and three for the opening point. In singles action, the Wildcats won courts two, five and three.

What Head Coach George Husack Said:

"Good college match today. We had numerous break opportunities in doubles and Kentucky gave nothing away for free. We battled on several courts in singles without much margin for error. In the end, the Cats were the better team and why they've been a top-five team all season."

"The guys really stuck with it this season and it paid off. There's plenty of room for growth and we must take advantage of the momentum. Keep developing and competing. Our next opportunity starts now as we plan for several months off of school and on our own. How will each member of this program personally commit to getting better? How much will we invest in our improvement, individually, and be personally responsible for what we look like next August when we embark on a new year. We can embrace the challenge ahead, rise up and let this season fuel us forward."

The Match

Planinsek and Samofalov downed the No. 23 doubles team of Baadi and Ayeni on court one with 6-3 victory
Kentucky would follow with wins on courts two and three, respectively, to take the opening point
The Wildcats would win courts two, five and three, respectively, in singles for the victory
Filip Planinsek had won his first set against No. 19 Liam Draxl and was tied 5-5 in the second set when the match was clinched
Yair Sarouk also captured the opening round on his court as his battle on court six against Charlelie Cosnet went unfinished at 7-5, 3-4
Additionally, Roan Jones had battled back to force a third-round against Taha Baadi on court four (3-6, 6-3, 1-4 unfinished)

Results

Doubles

1 | Filip Planinsek/German Samofalov (UA) def. #23 Taha Baadi/Alafia Ayeni (UK) 6-3
2 | #67 JJ Mercer/Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) 6-4
3 | Liam Draxl/Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Yair Sarouk/Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) 7-5

Order of finish (1, 2, 3)

Singles

1| #19 Liam Draxl (UK) vs. #92 Filip Planinsek (UA) 5-7, 5-5, unfinished
2| #25 Alafia Ayeni (UK) def. #121 Enzo Aguiard (UA) 6-4, 6-1
3| #56 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) 6-4, 6-4
4| Taha Baadi (UK) vs. Roan Jones (UA) 6-3, 3-6, 4-1, unfinished
5| Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Zach Foster (UA) 6-2, 6-4
6| Charlelie Cosnet (UK) vs. Yair Sarouk (UA) 5-7, 4-3, unfinished

Order of finish (2, 5, 3)

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaMTN on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaMTN on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.

-UA-