Tennessee tennis defeated the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday afternoon, winning a nail-biter 4-3 The No. 19 Vols (11-5, 2-3 SEC) continued to claw back from their three-game losing streak to start SEC play, picking up a win on Sunday after beating Arkansas last week. The No. 27 Wildcats (9-6, 2-3) were no easy opponent, but Tennessee managed to defend its courts in Knoxville.
Here’s how it went down on a windy afternoon at Barksdale Stadium.
Easy day in doubles
The Vols had an impressive start for the day, taking the lead on all three courts in doubles. Tennessee stuck to mostly the same doubles pairings, changing only Jose Garcia in place of James Newton on Court 3.
The most impressive pair of the day was once again Shunsuke Mitsui and Alan Jesudason. They took down their opponents for the first point, winning 6-2 to give the Vols the early advantage.
The next two courts wouldn’t come as easily for the Vols. Despite taking early leads, Kentucky wouldn’t concede.
Jan Kobierski and Garcia quickly saw a comfortable 5-2 advantage disappear into a slim 5-4 lead. The last point of the match came down to the wire, knotted up at 40 to decide the doubles for Tennessee. The Vols won, securing both the point and the doubles point to give Tennessee a 1-0 lead.
“What happened today was Jose Garcia,” head coach Chris Woodruff said. “He did an outstanding job, and he hasn’t played doubles until last fall. For him to come out and play well gave Jan some confidence.”
Alejandro Moreno and Alex Kotzen were also leading 5-4 on Court 1, but the doubles point was decided before they finished.
Hard fight in singles
It only got harder for Tennessee after clinching the doubles point. Four of Kentucky’s players are nationally ranked, making for a war in singles to decide the match.
Tennessee’s only easy point came by way of No. 25 Mitsui. He bounced back from his lackluster performance last week at Arkansas, taking down No. 53 Jaden Weeks in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2.
Tennessee didn’t earn another point for another hour. This time, it was Ian Cruz taking down his opponent in three sets to tie the match up at 3. The tie didn’t last long, as Moreno finished off his opponent to seal the victory for Tennessee.
“I told Alejandro and Ian that I thought they were the rocks today,” Woodruff said. “Alejandro’s composure was exceptional, especially down the stretch. I also told Ian that he’s playing the most important spot in college tennis, the 6th court.”
Moreno seals the win
Despite his early woes, Moreno found himself deep in the biggest point of the match. With the score knotted at 3, he was the deciding factor between a win and a loss.
After a rough first set, where he lost 6-1, he knew he had to settle in.
“I think I was trying to be too aggressive too early,” Moreno said. “Once I lost that first set, I went to the bathroom and just reset mentally. I knew it would be a dogfight the rest of the match.”
After a disappointing first set, he came back swinging in the second. Moreno won the second set 6-3, setting up a third set that looked like one of the day’s last sets. His opponent, sophomore Eli Stephenson, was relentless.
The third set saw Moreno in command most of the way, with the score sitting at 5-4 late in favor of the Vols. Moreno led 40-30 as Stephenson sailed the ball over his head to seal the victory.
“That was unbelievable,” Moreno said. “I was so nervous during that last game that I about started crying from the nerves. I was just happy that I got it done for myself and the team.”
Fans make the difference
Though the wind made it feel colder, 254 fans came to cheer on the Vols outdoors in 55-degree weather. The fans made a big difference, bringing energy to the court that you could feel from the stands.
“There’s no doubt that playing at home helped us today,” Woodruff said. “The fans here are unbelievable, and we get a lot of people out here for tennis, and I have no doubt that today the crowd was a big factor.”
