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IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Kentucky women’s tennis (2-1) hit the road to open its spring campaign against the University of Iowa (2-0), dropping a hard-fought 3-4 decision on Friday afternoon despite a furious comeback attempt in singles.
The Hawkeyes claimed an early advantage by clinching the doubles point, posting a 6-1 victory on court three and a 6-3 victory on court two. Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ top doubles duo, Lizzy Stevens and Julia Zhu, were locked in a tight 4-4 contest with Iowa’s Barbora Pokorna and Tereza Dejnozkova when the opening session concluded.
In an effort to balance the scoreboard, Stevens secured a victory over Marisa Schmidt, 6-1, 7-5, on court three. The Wildcats picked up another point on court five as Tess Bucher defeated Pia Kranholdt, 7-5, 6-3. The equalizer came as Ellie Eades fought through a tough three-set battle on court four, ultimately prevailing 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. In a decisive match on court six, freshman Asuncion Jadue battled hard, claiming a tight first set 7-6, before dropping the second 1-6. Despite her efforts, Jadue fell 2-6 in the third set to Pokorna, securing the victory for the Hawkeyes.
In a quick turnaround, the Wildcats will return to the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex to host Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 11 a.m.
Kentucky vs. Iowa
Doubles:
Court 1: Stevens/Zhu (UK) vs. Pokorna/Dejnozkova (IOWA): 4-4
Court 2: Hayashida/Vishwase (IOWA) def. Eades/Hammond (UK): 6-3
Court 3: Schmidt/Kranholdt (IOWA) def. Myers/Bucher (UK): 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
Court 1: Daianne Hayashida (IOWA) def. Zoe Hammond (UK): 6-3, 6-3
Court 2: Tereza Dejnozkova (IOWA) def. Julia Zhu (UK): 7-6, 6-1
Court 3: Lizzy Stevens (UK) def. Marisa Schmidt (UK): 6-1, 7-5
Court 4: Ellie Eades (UK) def. Nikita Vishwase (IOWA): 6-2, 2-6, 6-1
Court 5: Tess Bucher (UK) def. Pia Kranholdt (IOWA): 7-5, 6-3
Court 6: Barbora Pokorna (IOWA) def. Asuncion Jadue (UK): 7-6, 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.
