DURHAM, N.C. — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team suffered a 4-0 loss to No. 11 Duke in the championship match of Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Kickoff Weekend on Sunday, sending the Blue Devils to Texas for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February.
“Credit to Duke for a really hard fought match,” head coach Scott Brown said. “It was really fun battling them on their home courts. They had a great crowd turnout and it’s great to get to come into that environment and battle hard. I couldn’t love these guys more. They put their heart and soul into this match.”
Despite capturing the opening doubles match, Vanderbilt was unable to pull out victories at its No. 2 and No. 3 positions. All three doubles matches had multiple lead changes and came down to the final set.
“Our guys’ greatest strength is that they love each other,” Brown said. “They put their heart and soul into every match and practice, and they run for every single ball. As a coaching staff, that’s something you have to be so proud of. We were right there with the No. 11 team in the country, the match could’ve gone either way. Every set was a war.”
In singles, Duke collected an early point after Remy Dugardin moved past freshman Callum Markowitz in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. A ranked matchup at No. 1 singles saw No. 100 ranked junior Nathan Cox fall to No. 47 Cooper Williams 6-2, 6-3. With just one point separating the Blue Devils from a match win, the Commodores continued to hang around. Senior Michael Cox and freshman Pablo Martinez Gomez each captured the first set of their respective match, with Martinez Gomez going on to build a comfortable 4-1 lead in the second set. After giving up a lead in his first set, sophomore Danil Panarin battled back to force a third frame in a battle with No. 83 Pedro Rodenas. However, the effort fell just short, as Duke clinched the final point at No. 5 singles with a win over fifth year Henry Ruger.
“I know if we keep working and building off of this, working day-to-day and trying to get better, then we are going to start winning these matches down the road,” Brown said. “Like I said, our greatest weapon as a team is our heart. And I know we’re going to rip some hearts out along the way if we keep playing how we are. Fight Dores.”
Vanderbilt (3-2) gets the week off before a Saturday doubleheader at home, with the first match against Belmont (2-1) set for 11 a.m. and the second versus Southern Indiana (0-1) at not before 5 p.m. For more information, updates, and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 11 Duke 4, Vanderbilt 0
Doubles
1. Cox/Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Rodenas/Winegar (Duke) 6-4
2. Williams/Petrovic (Duke) def. Panarin/Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) 6-4
3. Krug/Dugardin (Duke) def. Cerasusolo/Ruger (Vanderbilt) 6-4
Singles
1. No. 47 Cooper Williams (Duke) def. No. 100 Nathan Cox (Vanderbilt) 6-2, 6-3
2. Danil Panarin (Vanderbilt) vs. No. 83 Pedro Rodenas (Duke) 4-6, 6-0, 1-1 unfinished
3. Michael Ross (Vanderbilt) vs. Andreja Petrovic (Duke) 7-6 (5), 1-3 unfinished
4. Pablo Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) vs. Gerard Planelles Ripoll (Duke) 6-3, 4-1 unfinished
5. Connor Krug (Duke) def. Henry Ruger (Vanderbilt) 6-4, 6-4
6. Remy Dugardin (Duke) def. Callum Markowitz (Vanderbilt) 6-1, 6-2
(Order of finish: Doubles 1, 3, 2 / Singles 6, 1, 5)
