No. 40 Razorbacks Rally to Defeat No. 63 Kentucky, 4-3

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 40 Arkansas women’s tennis team (10-9, 3-6) bounced back from its loss to Vanderbilt on Friday with a thrilling 4-3 comeback victory over No. 63 Kentucky (8-10, 2-7) on Sunday afternoon at Boone Tennis Center. The Razorbacks overcame a 3-1 deficit in singles play to earn their fourth win over a ranked opponent and first true road victory of the season.

The Hogs took the early advantage after a win on court three, as Kelly Keller/Carolina Gomez Alonso defeated Morante/Zhu, 6-2. The Wildcats responded with Eades/Hammond obtaining a 6-3 victory against Lenka Stara/Grace O’Donnell at the No. 2 position. The doubles point came down to court one as No. 63 Mills/Stevens clinched the point for Kentucky after a 7-5 win over No. 36 Morgan Cross/Anet Koskel.

The Wildcats struck first in singles play with Eades besting No. 112 Spink at the No. 3 position, 6-1, 6-3, while Arkansas got on the board following a 6-4, 6-2 victory from No. 31 Gomez Alonso against Stevens in the top spot. The victory from Gomez Alonso marks her 10th singles win this spring. Kentucky answered with a win on court two to take a 3-1 lead, as Hammond defeated Keller, 6-4, 7-6 (6).

The Razorbacks pulled within one point of the Wildcats after a dominant 7-5, 6-0 victory from Stara against Myers at the No. 5 position. The Hogs evened the match with a win on court four, as Cross took down Zhu, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0. The match came down to court six, where Kacie Harvey faced off against Makayla Mills. Harvey narrowly took the first-set tiebreak 7-6 (5) before cruising to a 6-3 victory in the second set to secure the comeback win for Arkansas.

The Hogs return to Billingsley Tennis Center next weekend for their final two home matches this season as they take on No. 39 LSU on Friday, April 5, and No. 13 Texas A&M on Sunday, April 7.