BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 120 Andrej Loncarevic overcame No. 78 Jack Loutit in straight sets, winning 6-1, 6-4, to clinch the match for the Tigers. In the regular season finale, LSU defeated Kentucky for the first time since 2019, putting the exclamation point on today’s Senior Day celebrations at the LSU Tennis Complex.
LSU wraps up its regular season with a 24-5 record, going 10-4 in the SEC. Kentucky falls to 16-11, posting a 5-8 conference mark.
“It was a great night with an amazing crowd,” said head coach Danny Bryan following the win. “It was awesome to see Matias [Ponce de Leon] play so well on his Senior Day. He’s been a huge addition for us, coming in and helping us have this turnaround that we have had. It was cool seeing him have a special night, winning in both doubles and singles. In general, there were a lot of guys who played very well against a tough Kentucky team. They are a program who have been very successful for many years, with a very good coach and a tough team. To win convincingly like we did tonight is a great accomplishment for our guys.”
When asked about what he is most proud of as the team ends the regular season, Bryan said, “Everyone knows what Olaf [Pieczkowski] is capable of, and he showed that tonight, which is huge. The main thing is, we have a lot of guys who are playing very well, with each doubles team playing at a high level. All year, we’ve talked about playing our best tennis in the postseason. Our plan was always to be working and improving on those things each day. We have put ourselves in a good position to play well in the end, with Olaf and Enzo [Kohlmann] stepping up in the last few weeks and the rest of the guys playing good tennis all year.”
At the No. 2 spot, Ponce de Leon and Erik Arutiunian matched up with Martin Breysach and Jaden Weekes. Each team settled into the match after holding their opening two service games. Here, the freshman-senior duo upped their level and created separation with the first break of the match at 3-2. Moving ahead with momentum, the Tigers built on their lead with another hold, creating a comfortable two-game cushion at 4-2. In control, Ponce de Leon and Arutiunian never let their foot off the gas, capturing another break to take a 5-2 lead. The pair wrapped up the set with a four-game run, dominating for most of the match to finish it, 6-2. The two extended their record on the season to 16-7, posting an 8-5 mark in conference play and extending their win streak to two.
The top court featured another match between two top-20 teams. This edition held No. 13 Sasa Markovic and Loncarevic versus No. 16 Eli Stephenson and Loutit. It was a tight contest from the start, with each team battling through their service games in the early stages, approaching a 2-2 scoreline. Through the middle stretch, the score remained close until the Tigers kicked into high gear to snatch the key break, putting them ahead 4-3 before they defended it with more strong serves at 5-3. Although the Wildcats were able to get another game by, it was not enough to halt Markovic and Loncarevic’s energy as they crossed the finish line, closing the match, 6-4. With their second win in a row, they improved their season mark to 13-5, going 7-4 in the SEC, and captured their sixth ranked victory, adding another signature win to their resume. LSU took a 1-0 lead over Kentucky.
Looking to get back into the win column, No. 38 Pieczkowski entered the marquee court, taking on No. 20 Stephenson. The freshman came out firing, quickly taking the advantage with a break in the first game that led to an eventual 2-0 lead. Stephenson got on the board with his first game at 2-1, and the score advanced through the middle stages with Pieczkowski maintaining a two-game lead. At 4-2, the Polish native secured another break to comfortably set himself up to serve for the set. Backed by imposing serves, he closed the opener, 6-2. Moving on to the second set, Pieczkowski remained in the zone. He captured another opening-game break, and this time used it to race to a 4-0 lead, giving his opponent little chance at making a run. Stephenson got a game by at 4-1, but it wasn’t enough to give Pieczkowski and run for his money. At 5-1, the freshman logged his final break of the match with a sliding backhand winner, wrapping up his impressive outing with a 6-1 second set. Pieczkowski moves his overall win count to eight matches, posting five wins over both conference opponents and ranked opponents. LSU extended its lead over Kentucky, 2-0.
On court two, No. 22 Arutiunian dueled with No. 80 Nicolas Arsenault. Both players found their footing early in the match, defining their play by strong service games. Down 3-2, Arutiunian suffered his first break as N. Arsenault went on a three-game run to take an assertive 5-2 lead. However, Arutiunian did not falter; he found his groove again to bring the score to 5-3 before stealing back the break and leveling the set at 5-5. The two grabbed another game before it was forced into a tiebreak. N. Arsenault jumped to an early 3-0 lead until Arutiunian put on a three-point stretch to tie it 3-3 at the switch. Unfortunately, from there, the Wildcat took four of the next five points to ultimately take the first set, 7-6(4). In the next set, the two traded breaks to begin. From that point on, it was all N. Arsenault. He went on a heater, taking full control of the match and tallying the next five games before wrapping the second set, 6-2. LSU held a 2-1 advantage over Kentucky.
Aiming to remain perfect on his Senior Day, Ponce de Leon matched up with Mikael Arsenault at the fifth spot. The Tiger fell into an early hole, suffering a break and a 3-1 deficit. Utilizing the energy from the crowd, Ponce de Leon completely flipped the script. He brought the match even at 3-3 and did not stop there. He posted another break to advance to a 4-3 lead, cruising his way towards taking the first set. Up 5-3, the Spaniard had too much rhythm to be halted, taking the final game, 6-3, to close it with an electric five-game run. In the following set, Ponce de Leon overwhelmed M. Arsenault from the outset. A break at his first opportunity sent his opponent into a medical timeout at 2-0, and that wasn’t enough to get him out of his flow. Continuing to apply pressure, he extended his streak of games to ten, taking a 5-0 lead on the verge of a straight-sets win. With nothing to lose, M. Arsenault nabbed a pair of games before Ponce de Leon sealed it, 6-2. He capped off his regular season with a 17-7 mark – the second best on the team – and went 7-4 in SEC play. The Tigers were a point away from defeating the Wildcats at 3-1.
No. 120 Loncarevic battled No. 78 Loutit in a competitive showing on court three. Loncarevic had to fight off a couple of scares in his opening service games, winning the first two on deciding deuce points. Despite that, he led 2-1 and set himself up to go on a run. The French native created separation with his first break at 3-1, building on it with a hold to widen his gap to three games with a 4-1 advantage. In full control, Loncarevic notched the final two games, downing his opponent in the first set with an authoritative 6-1 scoreline. In the succeeding set, Loutit posed more of a challenge to Loncarevic, as the two traded blows through the beginning stages. At a 2-2 stalemate, Loncarevic forged ahead with sharp returns before extending his lead to 4-2, sitting comfortably in front once again. However, Loutit began to close in on the sophomore, winning consecutive games to tie it all up at 4-4. Undeterred, Loncarevic raised his level like he has done all season down the stretch, staying composed as he fired right back with a pair of games of his own. He won the second set, 6-4, clinching the match for the Tigers yet again, pushing his win streak to six and advancing his season mark to 16-5, posting an affirmative 9-3 record in conference play. LSU emerged victorious in its final regular season match, downing Kentucky, 4-1.
Up next
LSU will await the official draw release for the SEC Tournament on Sunday. The competition will take place from April 14-19 in College Station, hosted by Texas A&M, at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
For the latest updates, follow @LSUTennis on Instagram, Facebook, and X.
Kentucky vs LSU
Apr 10, 2026 at Baton Rouge, La.
LSU Tennis Complex
#5 LSU 4, #22 Kentucky 1
Singles competition
1. #38 Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. #20 Eli Stephenson (UK) 6-2, 6-1
2. #80 Nicolas Arseneault (UK) def. #22 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
3. #120 Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) def. #78 Jack Loutit (UK) 6-1, 6-4
4. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) vs. #97 Charlelie Cosnet (UK) 6-7 (2-7), 5-2, unfinished
5. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) def. Mikael Arseneault (UK) 6-3, 6-2
6. Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) vs. Matt Rankin (UK) 6-4, 5-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #13 Andrej Loncarevic/Sasa Markovic (LSU) def. #16 Eli Stephenson/Jack Loutit (UK) 6-4
2. Matias Ponce De Leon/Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. #89 Martin Breysach/Jaden Weekes (UK) 6-2
3. Enzo Kohlmann/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) vs. Nicolas Arseneault/Charlelie Cosnet (UK) unfinished
Match Notes:
Kentucky 16-11 (5-8); National ranking #22
LSU 24-5 (10-4); National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,2,5,3)
Official: Ritchie Weaver