LEXINGTON, Ky. – With singles play slated to begin Friday, Vanderbilt’s men’s tennis team opened the doubles portion of play at the ITA Southeast Championships on Thursday.
Playing indoors for the first time this fall, the Commodores got off to a slow start, losing their first two matches of the day before recovering to win three of their final four.
The bright spot of the day for the Commodores was the play of sophomores Alex Zotov and Adam Baker. After earning a first-round bye, the duo won consecutive matches to advance to Friday’s quarterfinals.
Baker and Zotov advanced to the round of 16 with an 8-5 win over Mark Oljaca and Alex Pukal of South Florida. The duo then defeated LSU’s team of James Cluskey and Julien Gauthier, 8-4, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Baker and Zotov will face Kentucky’s team of Brad Cox and Bruno Agostinelli in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. Friday.
Vanderbilt’s first win of the day came in the round of 64 when Charlie Jones and Bryant Salcedo teamed up to defeat Eastern Kentucky’s tandem of Alex Das Izquierdo and Mel Segota, 8-5.
However, in the round of 32, Jones and Salcedo were eliminated in a close loss to Miami’s David Rosenfeld and David Simon, 9-7.
Teaming together for the first time in their careers, senior Nick Cromydas and freshman Alex DiValerio fell to Florida’s duo of Daniel Cash and Johnny Hamui, 8-4 in the round of 64.
Also falling in a hard-fought first-round match was Vanderbilt’s duo of James Moye and Vijay Paul. Moye and Paul were downed by South Florida’s team of Jamal Adderley and Thomas Estrada, 9-7.
Vanderbilt will continue play at the ITA Southeast Championships Friday with the first two rounds of singles action taking place.
ITA Southeast Championships
Doubles Competition
Round of 64
Daniel Cash/Johnny Hamui (UF) def. Nick Cromydas/Alex DiValerio (VU), 8-4
Jamal Adderley/Thomas Estrada (USF) def. James Moye/Vijay Paul (VU), 9-7
Charlie Jones/Bryant Salcedo (VU) def. Alex Das Izquierdo/Mel Segota (EKU), 8-5
Round of 32
Adam Baker/Alex Zotov (VU) def. Mark Oljaca/Alex Pukal (USF), 8-5
David Rosenfeld/David Simon (UM)def. Charlie Jones/Bryant Salcedo (VU), 9-7
Round of 16
Adam Baker/Alex Zotov (VU) def. James Cluskey/Julien Gauthier (LSU), 8-4
