Hardware headin' home: Kentucky men's tennis wins SEC Tournament
In Auburn, Alabama at around 4:30 p.m. EST on Sunday afternoon, the championship match of the SEC Tournament took place. No. 5 Kentucky men’s tennis looked to win its first conference title since 1992. The ‘Cats faced a fantastic Georgia team between them and the trophy. This same Georgia team that handled the Wildcats with ease earlier this month, erasing any chance Kentucky had of winning the regular season SEC crown. The ‘Dogs would go on to win the regular season title and entered the conference tourney as the No. 1 seed. Nothing to be afraid of, right?
If there was any minuscule feeling of doubt that Kentucky wasn’t going to get a top-eight seed entering the NCAA Tournament, those doubts are certainly removed now. The Wildcats will have a home-court advantage once the Big Dance gets underway. So yes, the road runs through Lexington. One of the crazier reactions from this championship-winning victory is that for the first time this year, UK can firmly say it’s the best team in the conference. The SEC was loaded this year with the likes of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee, all losing to Kentucky during the regular season. After crossing Tennessee off the revenge list in the semifinals, the ‘Cats had one more squad to battle against.
Kentucky was 2-0 in doubles in the SEC tourney before coming into the championship match on Sunday. The biggest woe of the season was starting to look like maybe just a growing pain. It always starts with doubles and for the ‘Cats that meant they’d have to chase Georgia from the get-go.
Stay within reach
It wasn’t meant to be for Kentucky in doubles. The No. 3 pairing of Jaden Weekes and Liam Draxl was beaten 6-3 to kick things off. The next match to finish was on court one, where the No. 1 doubles duo of Alafia Ayeni and Taha Baadi was in action. Ayeni and Baadi couldn’t pull it off and fell to Georgia’s Ethan Quinn and Trent Bryde 6-4. The Wildcats had lost the doubles point and trailed 1-0. Kudos to this group, though. They stuck together after starting off the match on the wrong foot.
Singles action was next, where Kentucky had an answer and showed they belonged.
Joshua Lapadat, playing in third singles, was able to get out to a fast start. He led 4-2 early and didn’t drop another game, winning the first set 6-2. Lapadat was just as crisp in the second set. The smooth left-hander went on to victory, cruising to a straight-set win 6-2, 6-4. Besides being the only Wildcat to win in straights on the afternoon, Lapadat’s play wasn’t unnoticed. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the SEC Tournament and earned himself a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Despite Lapadat’s inspired performance that tied honors at one apiece, Kentucky still had work to do. Especially because it wasn’t tied for much longer. Charlelie Cosnet and Liam Draxl’s matches were the next one to finish. UK’s No. 1 singles man, Draxl, had fallen 7-5, 6-2. While on court six, the Freshman Frenchman Cosnet was also defeated in straight sets. In just a matter of minutes, Kentucky found itself in a 3-1 deficit. The ‘Cats were one bad match away from going home as runners-up. Then, the unimaginable happened.
That Kentucky magic
Don’t talk about comebacks without mentioning Alafia Ayeni. The man who transferred in from Cornell was spectacular in singles once again during the course of this tournament.
Ayeni saved Kentucky in the semifinals, fighting back in the last match to get his squad over the hump. In the championship, he possessed that same clutch gene. Ayeni was actually in the exact same scenario two days in a row. Against Tennessee, he lost the opening set 6-1. On Sunday vs. Georgia, he had dropped another opening set 6-1.
It honestly might give him extra juice playing from behind. Ayeni rallied off two straight sets, winning 6-3 in both. He had done it again. Never count this man out. His three-set triumph was massive, but the ‘Cats still trailed 3-2. One slip up and it was match over.
As Kentucky trailed by one, two matches remained. Baadi and Weekes would be forced to answer the call.
Baadi did indeed step up. He was able to capture the opening set 7-6. Georgia’s Blake Croyder immediately stormed back to win the second set. The final frame was tight as could be, but Baadi prevailed. He won the third set 7-5 and Kentucky was even with Georgia on the scoreboard at 3-3. Baadi won his final point and immediately pointed at court five, where Weekes was in a tight third set. Baadi hopped the net to shake hands with Croyder, but then all the attention was turned to Weekes.
A freshman you say?
That would be correct. Jaden Weekes is a freshman who hails from Montreal, Canada. Playing in fifth singles, Weekes had the fate of the tournament on his shoulders. Let me remind you that this man lost his doubles match earlier in the day. What he did after that will leave you with goosebumps.
They’ll always be the Comeback ‘Cats.
Weekes lost his first set 6-3, but courageously won the second set 6-2. The score was dead even. Georgia and Kentucky both had three points on the board and the individuals of the last match of the afternoon were tied at one set apiece. Weekes was in a battle after Baadi finished his match. This battle would require a tiebreaker to decide the tournament champion.
This wasn’t your tiebreaker that went to seven points, it went the distance. Up 8-7 in the tiebreaker and needing one point, Weekes tossed that fuzzy ball in the air. His blazing left-handed serve was good, so good that Georgia’s Miguel Perez Pena couldn’t return it back. Weekes had won his match 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7). He fell to the ground like Rafael Nadal at Roland-Garros.
Weekes’ teammates mobbed him into the fence as Kentucky had just won the SEC Tournament.
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