TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 19 Ole Miss (11-9, 7-6 SEC) lost 4-2 to No. 26 Kentucky (15-7, 6-7 SEC) in the second round of the SEC Championships on Tuesday.

 

Ole Miss fought hard against Kentucky in a match spanning just under 3:30. The Rebels have fallen in the second round of the SEC Championships in back-to-back tournaments (last in 2019).

 

The Rebels narrowly lost the opening doubles point, 2-1. At No. 2 Doubles, Tiphanie Fiquet and Sabina Machalova put the Rebels ahead 1-0 by defeating the Wildcats’ Carla Girbau and Anastasia Tkachenko, 6-1. Fiquet and Machalova defeated Girbau and Tkachenko by the same score in the previous meeting between Ole Miss and Kentucky this season (April 10). Kentucky claimed No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to take the opening decision point, the same match-by-match result in doubles as the previous competition. No. 20 Alexa Bortles and Anna Vrbenska fell 6-2 to No. 1 Fiona Arrese and Akvile Parazinskaite, and Tereza Janatova and Kelsey Mize were defeated 6-4 by Lesedi Jacobs and Elizabeth Stevens.

 

In singles, Ole Miss won two matches, fell in three and had one match go unfinished. Reka Zadori tied the match 1-all by defeating Kentucky’s Maialen Morante in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Zadori extended her current win streak to seven matches including two victories over Morante.

 

Kentucky reclaimed the lead, 2-1, by taking Court No. 1. No. 45 Parazinskaite defeated No. 26 Machalova 6-2, 6-2. Machalova defeated Parazinskaite in straight sets in their prior match this season.

 

Vrbenska tied-up the match again at 2-all. Vrbenska won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, over Stevens. Vrbenska improved to 9-4 in singles this season.

 

The Wildcats proceeded to claim No. 5 Singles followed by No. 3 Singles to win the match 4-2 over the Rebels. Lillian Gabrielsen fell to Girbau after winning the first set, 6-3. No. 90 Janatova fell in two tough sets versus Carlota Molina. The Wildcats had switched their No. 2 and No. 3 singles in the lineup from the prior match.

 

Fiquet had her match go unfinished at No. 2 Singles after one game in third set.

 

Singles Results

 

No. 45 Akvile Parazinskaite (UK) def. No. 26 Sabina Machalova, 6-2, 6-2

No. 95 Lesedi Jacobs (UK) vs. No. 59 Tiphanie Fiquet (OM). 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (unfinished)

Carlota Molina (UK) def. No. 90 Tereza Janatova, 7-6 (6), 6-3

Anna Vrbenska def. Elizabeth Stevens (UK), 6-4, 6-3

Carla Girbau (UK) def. Lillian Gabrielsen, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3

Reka Zadori def. Maialen Morante (UK), 6-1, 6-2

 

Doubles Results

 

No. 1 Fiona Arrese/Akvile Parazinskaite (UK) def. No. 20 Alexa Bortles/Anna Vrbenska, 6-2

Tiphanie Fiquet and Sabina Machalova def. Carla Girbau/Anastasia Tkachenko (UK), 6-1

Lesedi Jacobs/Elizabeth Stevens (UK) def. Tereza Janatova/Kelsey Mize, 6-4

 

Next Up

 

The Rebels await their selection for the NCAA tournament. The selection show is at 5 p.m. CT on Monday, May 3. The selection show will be live streamed on NCAA.com. Regional NCAA action begins on Friday, May 7. Selection for the women’s individual singles and doubles tournaments will be released at 5 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 4.

 

For more information on Ole Miss Women’s Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWTennis, on Facebook at OleMissWTennis and on Instagram at OleMissWTennis. Also follow Coach Beyers on Twitter, @MarkBeyers.