TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis dropped its second straight match in a 4-0 defeat to Alabama on Sunday.
For the first time all season, the Dores have lost back-to-back doubles points. Vanderbilt did generate a 5-3 lead at No. 3 doubles behind fifth year Henry Ruger and freshman Giuseppe Cerasuolo; however, the match was unfinished after Alabama clinched the doubles advantage.
In singles, freshman Dylan Charlap took the first set over Zach Foster 6-2 at the No. 6 line. Ruger picked up a first set of his own at No. 5 singles with a 7-6 (5) result against Matic Kriznik. Despite control from the bottom two positions, Vanderbilt suffered defeats at its top three spots en route to the 4-0 loss. The result is the first time a team has won back-to-back matches in the series since Alabama claimed victories in 2020 and 2021.
No. 32 Vanderbilt (8-5, 1-3 SEC) returns home to face No. 47 South Carolina (8-4, 2-1 SEC) in its conference home opener on Thursday, with play set to begin at 3:30 p.m. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 25 Alabama 4, No. 32 Vanderbilt 0
Doubles
1. No. 41 Matic Kriznik/Filip Planinsek (Alabama) def. No. 87 Nathan Cox/Michael Ross (Vanderbilt) 6-3
2. Damien Nezar/Andrii Zimnokh (Alabama) def. Pablo Martinez Gomez/Danil Panarin (Vanderbilt) 6-2
3. Cerasuolo/Ruger (Vanderbilt) vs. Enzo Aguiard/Foster (Alabama) 5-3, unfinished
Singles
1. No. 23 Planinsek (Alabama) def. No. 98 Nathan Cox (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 59 Roan Jones (Alabama) def. Danil Panarin (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-4
3. Matias Ponce De Leon (Alabama) def. Pablo Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
4. Zimnokh (Alabama) vs. Michael Ross (Vanderbilt) 6-4, 6-6 (2-0), unfinished
5. Ruger (Vanderbilt) vs. Kriznik (Alabama) 7-6 (5), 1-2, unfinished
6. Charlap (Vanderbilt) vs. Foster (Alabama) 6-2, 6 (2)-7, 4-1, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,2,3)
