ORLANDO, Fla. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis saw its NCAA Championships journey come to a close after sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez fell in a nearly three-hour long battle on Tuesday at the USTA National Campus.
“I’m super proud of Pablo today,” head coach Scott Brown said. “What a battle. Everyone that qualifies for the NCAA Championships is a high-quality tennis player. And today was no different, the level was really high here. All of these matches come down to a few points here and there. Unfortunate that some of those points didn’t fall Pablo’s way today, but he put himself in position to win the match and that’s all we can ask for.”
The No. 84 ranked Martinez Gomez, who entered the event on a six-match win streak, drew No. 66 Matthew Forbes of Michigan State in the singles round of 64. The pair went back-and-forth before coming to a 3-3 draw midway through the first set. Behind an overwhelming serve that kept Forbes off balance, Martinez Gomez pulled ahead to claim the opening frame 6-3. The two were nearly inseparable throughout the second before going to a tiebreaker at 6-6. With his tournament life on the line, Forbes held on 7-3 to force a third set.
In what became a battle of attrition, the two again alternated blows. But after Martinez Gomez snatched a 4-3 lead, the Michigan State sophomore reclaimed the momentum, generating three straight game wins to seal the match 6-4 in the third set. In total, the contest produced over 10 deciding points across all games, five of which came in the second set alone.
“Pablo fought like a lion,” Brown said. “He represented the black and gold with class. Since he arrived in January, he’s worked his tail off, checked all the boxes and has been so professional. Most importantly, he’s been an extremely positive influence, not just on his teammates, but on the staff as well. The body of work Pablo has put together is incredible. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he continues to develop and progress over the next two or three years.”
The result concludes fall competition for the Dores. Vanderbilt will return to dual match play in January 2026 for the start of the spring season. For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
