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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Kentucky women’s tennis team (8-3, 0-2 SEC) lost a close, 4-3 battle against No. 28 Alabama (10-0, 2-0 SEC) on Thursday evening at the Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility. With the result, Kentucky suffered its second loss since starting conference play.
Action commenced with doubles play under the outdoor lights, where the Wildcats picked up the double point. The first to finish were Ellie Myers and Marina Fuduric on court three, topping Alabama’s Amina Salibayeva and Addison Bowman 6-1. Shortly after, on court one, Julia Zhu and Zoe Hammond fell to Kristina Paskauskas and Karla Bartel 2-6, evening the field. Decidedly, the point came down to a close match on court two, where Asuncion Jadue and Reese Sager defeated Alabama’s Klara Milicevic and Maria Andrienko 7-6, earning the 1-0 edge for Kentucky.
In singles play, Hammond raced out to a quick win on court two, going 6-1 in both sets, to put the Wildcats up 2-0. Moments later, Jadue was defeated by Alabama’s Bartel, 2-6, 1-6 on court four. After winning the tiebreak in set one, Zhu secured the win on court one, going 7-6, 6-1, stretching the lead 3-1 for the Wildcats. The Crimson Tide responded, earning the next two points both in three sets, as Salibayeva defeated Le Roux, 5-7, 6-2, 6-0 and Andrienko defeated Sager 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. With the score tied at three apiece, Molla pushed Alabama’s Bowman to a third set, after dropping the first 6-7 and picking up the second 6-3. After battling, Bowman ultimately took the final set 6-2, giving Alabama the final point to claim the match 4-3.
The Wildcats will conclude their three-match away stint in Starkville on Saturday, Feb. 28, taking on the 37th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs at Pitts Tennis Center before returning home.
For the latest on UK Women’s Tennis, follow @UKWomensTennis on Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Doubles Results
1. Paskauskas/Bartel (ALA) def. Zhu/Hammond (UK) 6-2
2. Jadue/Sager (UK) def. Milicevic/Andrienko (ALA) 7-6
3. Myers/Fuduric (UK) def. Salibayeva/Bowman (ALA) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles Results
1. Julia Zhu (UK) def. Kristina Paskauskas (ALA) 7-6, 6-1
2. Zoe Hammond (UK) def. Klara Milicevic (ALA) 6-1, 6-1
3. Maria Andrienko (ALA) def. Reese Sager (UK) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
4. Karla Bartel (ALA) def. Asuncion Jadue (UK) 6-2, 6-1
5. Addison Bowman (ALA) def. Elena Molla (UK) 7-6, 3-6, 6-2
6. Amina Salibayeva (ALA) def. Donna Le Roux (UK) 5-7, 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: 2, 4, 1, 6, 3, 5
