Call them elite, call them sweet, Kentucky men's tennis is the team to beat
The NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament is where Kentucky men’s tennis shows up and performs, no matter the circumstances. Last season they ran the tables as an 8-seed, embarking on a Cinderella-esque run to the championship match where they ultimately lost to Virginia. Now, the 4-seeded Kentucky Wildcats have just booked a spot to the Elite Eight in Orlando after beating Stanford 4-3.
The Saturday Sweet 16 matchup against Stanford didn’t disappoint. The Cardinal are royalty in the tennis world, boasting 17 national championships. Stanford got off to a great start in doubles play, stealing the point at the Boone Tennis Complex. Kentucky trailed in two of three doubles matches for the most part and was unable to turn the tides early. Christophe Clement and Taha Baadi fell 6-2, which put the Cardinal one point away from winning doubles. Moments after, Liam Draxl and Jaden Weekes also lost 6-2 and Stanford had a 1-0 lead in the match. JJ Mercer and Joshua Lapadat’s No. 1 singles match was abandoned with the Kentucky duo sporting a 5-3 lead.
Head Coach, Cedric Kauffmann acknowledged the comeback nature of his team when losing that opening doubles point.
“I told them (players) for the NCAA (tournament), you might have to lose two or three doubles points and come back, and that was one of them. We did it four times I think, last year. I don’t think we can do it again four times, but we can do it two or three times. Everybody talks about the doubles point, but if you have six strong doubles points, we can still find four,” said Kauffmann after the match. While his response was good-spirited, it was also incredibly factual. Kentucky does possess the quality to come back in matches and find points in singles play.
Cue the dominoes
The dominoes did indeed start falling Kentucky’s way during singles play, but it didn’t always look that way. Through the start of six singles matches, the first six sets were split evenly between UK and Stanford. Baadi, Lapadat, and Alafia Ayeni were all off to hot starts, winning each of their first sets. Draxl, Weekes, and Charlelie Cosnet were going to be forced to come from behind, seeing they lost their first sets.
Ayeni was a magician on the court today, from the first point to the last one. He looked sharper than a knife at Jeff Ruby’s, giving it his all throughout the match. In fact, Ayeni was so dominant that his match finished in under an hour. The fifth-year senior who transferred from Cornell, rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory. His win tied the overall match up at 1-1. While Ayeni’s win was spectacular, his words post-match demonstrated what kind of person he is.
“I’m not going to lie, when there’s a bigger crowd I always feel like I rise to the occasion. I’m an entertainer at heart. So, I love being in front of people and playing in front of people, but a large part of it was that this is my last official match at Boone as a Wildcat. These last 10 to 12 month have been really kind of impactful for me, as a person and as a player. It was important for me to come back to come out in my last match and really give back to BBN,” said Ayeni on what fueled him today. Truly poetic from the young man.
Ayeni tied the match up, but then had to watch as his teammates kept battling. That they did. Baadi and Lapadat were the next ones to get on the board for Kentucky.
Kentucky doesn’t go away
No, they really do not. Baadi and Lapadat both had leads in their respective matches as singles play dwindled down. In the middle of solid play from both gentleman, Cosnet had quietly gotten back into his match by winning his second set. On court four, Baadi was serving for the match. He prevailed in a straight-set 6-3, 6-4 effort. Baadi’s win gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead over Stanford.
Next was Lapadat’s turn to stretch Kentucky’s lead. He did exactly that, winning 6-4, 6-2 on court three. Lapadat’s victory gave the ‘Cats a 3-1 lead and put them only one point away from a trip to Orlando. A small note on Lapadat today was that he was tremendous. He could’ve had a perfect day if not for his doubles match being abandoned.
With Kentucky leading 3-1, the drama really started to pile on. The Frenchman Cosnet was leading his all-important third set. However, doubles teammates Draxl and Weekes were both losing their respective singles matches. Draxl and Weekes were pushed to tiebreaks, both in each of their second sets. Keep in mind, the duo had lost each of their first sets. As hope started to close on their matches, Cosnet was closer and closer to the finish line. The dominoes fell, but not in the right direction at first.
Draxl fell on court one and then Weekes lost on court five, both in second-set tiebreakers. The overall match score was 3-3, but Cosnet had some breathing room on court six. Up 5-3 in the third set, Charlelie Cosnet was able to close the match out and send Kentucky to the Elite Eight. He held on to win a three-set thriller that ultimately gave the ‘Cats a 4-3 win over Stanford.
Cosnet’s described the feeling of the match coming down to him and all the chaos that was ensuing at the moment.
Because why not? Cosnet had a shower waiting for him in the locker room.
Bigger Picture
Kentucky men’s tennis is really damn good in close matches. Whether it be coming back from a doubles loss, having to find a way back during singles, or relying on the last man to secure a victory, the Wildcats find a way to do it. It was on full display last weekend versus Northwestern, and again it showed today. Kentucky is 11-1 in matches this season that end 4-3. If they need to grind out even further in Orlando, they sure have the experience.
The Wildcats have all the makings of a championship team. Perhaps that’s because of their connection on and off the court.
A brief nod to BBN deserves to be mentioned as well. Today at Boone Tennis Complex was the highest recorded attendance in program history. The players notably fed off the energy today and Boone was loud throughout the afternoon. BBN to Orlando, now? Who says no?
Kentucky men’s tennis will take on the winner of Duke and Virginia in the Elite Eight. The ‘Cats have beat both of those squads this season already. The national championship dream is still alive.
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