LEXINGTON, Ky. – On the road in the NCAA Super Regional, No. 21 Stanford men's tennis was outlasted by No. 4 Kentucky, 4-3, at Boone Tennis Complex. The Cardinal concludes the team's regular season with a 16-11 record.
"I am incredibly grateful today - first and foremost to our team members – and to our entire staff and all those who support our program," said Paul Goldstein, the Taube Family Director of Men's Tennis. "This is a group of young men that demonstrated resilience and handled an inordinate amount of adversity with grace and toughness throughout the season, and it was on display again today despite the final result. We will learn from this experience, and will be back stronger, wiser and fueled by desire."
Stanford led early after doubles, winning decisively on courts two and three. Aryan Chaudhary and Filip Kolasinski picked up a 6-2 win on court two, followed close behind in the third position by Nishesh Basavareddy and Neel Rajesh with a 6-2 win of their own.
The Wildcats responded to take the lead, 3-1, with wins on courts two, four and three.
Stanford tied the match at 3-3 with straight set wins on courts one and five, with each result coming in a second set tiebreaker. Arthur Fery picked up a 6-4, 7-6 (6) decision on court one, while Kolasinski won on court five, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Chaudhary won his first set on court six, but the Wildcats earned the win to advance in the NCAA Tournament.
The NCAA singles and doubles competition will be conducted May 22-27 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
No. 4 Kentucky 4, No. 21 Stanford 3
DOUBLES
#1 – Samir Banerjee/Arthur Fery (STAN) vs. No. 67 Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) 3-5 uf
#2 – Aryan Chaudhary/Filip Kolasinski (STAN) def. Taha Baadi/Christophe Clement (UK) 6-2
#3 – Nishesh Basavareddy/Neel Rajesh (STAN) def. Liam Draxl/Jaden Weekes (UK) 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
1) No. 3 Arthur Fery (STAN) d. No. 13 Liam Draxl (UK), 6-4, 7-6 (6)
2) No. 18 Alafia Ayeni (UK) d. No. 56 Samir Banerjee (STAN), 6-1, 6-1
3) No. 59 Joshue Lapadat (UK) d. No. 15 Nishesh Basavareddy (STAN), 6-4, 6-2
4) Taha Baadi (UK) d. Neel Rajesh (STAN), 6-3, 6-4
5) Filip Kolasinski (STAN) d. Jaden Weekes (UK), 6-4, 7-6 (5)
6) Charlelie Cosnet (UK) d. Aryan Chaudhary (STAN), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 3, 1, 5, 6