MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis generated a comeback thriller at No. 6 singles for a 4-3 win over Middle Tennessee on Wednesday.
“What do I have to say about our guys?” head coach Scott Brown said. “Our greatest strength is our heart and our grit. This is what got us over the line today. We didn’t play our best tennis, but it comes back to the moments and the matches that you grind out. It comes down to grit and how you go about your business on a day-to-day basis. And that’s what this team is all about.”
Vanderbilt seized the momentum early after capturing the doubles point. The Dores continued to control the match in singles play, with No. 80 ranked junior Nathan Cox grabbing a first set win at No. 1 singles and sophomore Danil Panarin taking the opening frame at No. 2 singles. From there, the Blue Raiders began to chip away. Middle Tennessee’s Kacper Szymkowiak downed senior Michael Ross in straight sets. Soon after, Shu Matsioka outlasted freshman Pablo Martinez Gomez in a three set battle. Karim Al-Amin turned the match around at No. 1 singles, coming from behind to take down Cox and give the Blue Raiders a 3-2 advantage.
A point away from defeat, Vandy lived up to its ‘Fight Dores’ mantra. Fifth year Henry Ruger produced a comeback victory at No. 5 singles after dropping a tiebreaker in the first set. At 3-3, all eyes turned to the No. 6 singles position. Junior Tighe Brunetti and Middle Tennessee’s Igor Mandou Berranger entered a third set with the match on the line. The two fought to 6-6 tiebreaker, and Brunetti buckled down for the Dores. The junior consistently used the boundary, placing shots down the line while outmaneuvering Berranger throughout the final. Brunetti sealed the Commodore conquest with a 7-2 finish in the match tiebreaker.
The win ends a two-match skid against Middle Tennessee, marking the first Vanderbilt victory in the series since 2021. The Commodores move to 33-12 in the all-time series. The Blue Raiders fall to 0-5 against SEC teams this season.
“It was a complete team effort,” Brown said. “And a huge individual congratulations to Tighe Brunetti. The guy came from behind every set and found a way to win. He has been training his motor for the last year and a half since he got here. Really proud of Tighe in that moment; that was not easy. He had the crowd against him, but he clawed his way back and just gutted it out at the end.”
Vanderbilt (6-2) hosts Northwestern (2-3) on Friday before kicking off SEC play, with the match set to begin at 3 p.m. For more information, updates, and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
Vanderbilt 4, Middle Tennessee 3
Doubles
1. Cox/Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Al-Amin/Ondrej Horak (Middle Tennessee) 7-6 (4)
2. Panarin/Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) def. Rostislav Halfinger/Szymkowiak (Middle Tennessee) 7-5
3. Matsuoka/Jakub Kroslak (Middle Tennessee) def. Giuseppe Cerasuolo/Ruger (Vanderbilt) 7-5
Singles
1. Al-Amin (Middle Tennessee) def. No. 80 Cox (Vanderbilt) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. Kroslak (Middle Tennessee) 7-5, 6-4
3. Szymkowiak (Middle Tennessee) def. Ross (Vanderbilt) 7-6 (3), 6-2
4. Matsuoka (Middle Tennessee) def. Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
5. Ruger (Vanderbilt) def. Horak (Middle Tennessee) 6 (6)-7, 6-4, 6-3
6. Brunetti (Vanderbilt) def. Mandou Berranger (Middle Tennessee) 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,2,1,4,5,6)
