GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Despite winning doubles for the first time in conference play, Kentucky (8-4, 1-1 SEC) dropped its Southeastern Conference road opener at Florida (8-4, 3-0 SEC) by a 6-1 score line.

The loss was the first for the Cats in league action since April 2, 2023. Kentucky’s SEC win streak across regular season and tournament play lasted 21 matches.

The Wildcats started the match strong, as Jack Loutit and Eli Stephenson earned a 25-minute win at No. 1 doubles, taking down Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn, 6-0. The Cats would win another quick doubles match to take the 1-0 advantage, as Antoine Ghibaudo and Charlelie Cosnet won their sixth straight match at No. 3 with a 6-2 victory over Kevin Edengren and JanMangus Johnson.

The Gators would respond in singles, racing out to advantages on all six courts to put the pressure on the Cats. Florida would even the match on court five, as Nirundorn defeated Stephenson in straight sets. A pair of matches would finish within seconds of each other, as Ganesan defeated No. 69 Ghibaudo and Niels Villard defeated Matt Rankin to take a 3-1 lead.

The hosts would clinch the match at No. 2, with No. 61 Jeremy Jin taking down No. 66 Jaden Weekes in the dual’s only ranked matchup.

The two schools played out the match, allowing Johnson to hand No. 81 Loutit his first singles loss of the season on court three. Henry Jefferson defeated No. 121 Cosnet in the dual’s only three set match to give the singles sweep to the Gators.

Kentucky will quickly return home for a SEC Tournament Championship rematch with South Carolina on Sunday, March 2 at 1 p.m. ET. Admission to all home matches at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex is free to the public.

For the latest on UK Men’s Tennis, follow the Wildcats on X and Instagram at @UKMensTennis.

No. 31 Kentucky vs. No. 37 Florida

Doubles Results

1. Stephenson/Loutit (UK) def. Ganesan/Nirundorn (UF) 6-0
2. Jefferson/Jin (UF) vs. Breysach/Weekes (UK) 5-3 (unfinished)
3. Cosnet/Ghibaudo (UK) def. Edengren/Johnson (UF) 6-2

Order of finish: 1, 3

Singles Results

1. Adhithya Ganesan (UF) def. No. 69 Antoine Ghibaudo (UK) 6-4, 6-2
2. No. 61 Jeremy Jin (UF) def. No. 66 Jaden Weekes (UK) 6-2, 6-3
3. JanMangus Johnson (UF) def. No. 81 Jack Loutit (UK) 6-2, 7-6 (4)
4. Henry Jefferson (UF) def. No. 121 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
5. Tanapatt NIrundorn (UF) def. Eli Stephenson (UK) 6-2, 6-3
6. Niels Villard (UF) def. Matt Rankin (UK) 6-3, 6-3

Order of finish: 5, 1, 6, 2, 3, 4