LEXINGTON – The No. 10 Texas A&M men's tennis team fell to the No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats, 4-3, Friday at the Boone Tennis Complex.
"Congrats to Kentucky on a well-played match," head coach Steve Denton said. "I was disappointed with the way we started off the match. We didn't play well enough in doubles and then struggled on a couple of courts that put us in a hole that was tough to recover from. We have to be better mentally to win on the road than we were tonight."
Kentucky (15-2, 6-0 SEC) were the aggressors to start the match, as it stole both courts 1 and 3 to lead heading into singles play.
The Wildcats built on their early momentum by taking the first two matches of singles, extending their lead to 3. The Maroon & White (16-5, 5-2 SEC) responded through Tiago Pires, as the freshman got Texas A&M on the board winning in straight sets on court 5 versus Jack Loutit (6-4, 6-4), 3-1. Kentucky then clinched the match with a win on court 2.
The teams played out the remaining matches after the Wildcats sealed the win. No. 33 Raphael Perot downed No. 36 Taha Baadi on court 1 (6-3, 1-6, 6-4). Brayden Michna followed suit besting Matt Rankin on court 6 (7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-1).
The Aggies return to the Mitchell Tennis Center Friday, March 29, to host Vanderbilt at 1 p.m.
TEAM NOTES
MATCH STATS
Doubles
Order of finish: 3, 1*
Singles
Order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 2, 1, 6*
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieMTEN.
"Congrats to Kentucky on a well-played match," head coach Steve Denton said. "I was disappointed with the way we started off the match. We didn't play well enough in doubles and then struggled on a couple of courts that put us in a hole that was tough to recover from. We have to be better mentally to win on the road than we were tonight."
Kentucky (15-2, 6-0 SEC) were the aggressors to start the match, as it stole both courts 1 and 3 to lead heading into singles play.
The Wildcats built on their early momentum by taking the first two matches of singles, extending their lead to 3. The Maroon & White (16-5, 5-2 SEC) responded through Tiago Pires, as the freshman got Texas A&M on the board winning in straight sets on court 5 versus Jack Loutit (6-4, 6-4), 3-1. Kentucky then clinched the match with a win on court 2.
The teams played out the remaining matches after the Wildcats sealed the win. No. 33 Raphael Perot downed No. 36 Taha Baadi on court 1 (6-3, 1-6, 6-4). Brayden Michna followed suit besting Matt Rankin on court 6 (7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-1).
The Aggies return to the Mitchell Tennis Center Friday, March 29, to host Vanderbilt at 1 p.m.
TEAM NOTES
- A&M is 4-2 on the road.
- Raphael Perot earned his sixth-ranked win of the season.
- Brayden Michna is on a five-match win streak.
MATCH STATS
Doubles
- No. 23 Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) def. No. 28 Giulio Perego/Togan Tokac (TAMU) 6-3
- Luke Casper/JC Roddick (TAMU) vs. Matt Rankin/Jaden Weekes (UK) 5-4 UNF
- Taha Baadi/Jack Loutit (UK) def. Tiago Pires/Kenner Taylor (TAMU) 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 1*
Singles
- No. 33 Raphael Perot (TAMU) def. No. 36 Taha Baadi (UK) 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
- Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. No. 24 JC Roddick (TAMU) 6-3, 7-5
- Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Togan Tokac (TAMU) 6-2, 6-2
- Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Giulio Perego (TAMU) 6-4, 6-3
- Tiago Pires (TAMU) def. Jack Loutit (UK) 6-4, 6-4
- Brayden Michna (TAMU) def. Matt Rankin (UK) 7-6 (8-6), 2-6, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 2, 1, 6*
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram/Threads and X by following @AggieMTEN.