OXFORD, Miss. — Jeremie Casabon and Joubert Klopper each pulled out three-set wins on Sunday to help lift Vanderbilt men’s tennis to a 4-3 victory over Ole Miss at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
With the Commodores (10-7, 1-4 SEC) trailing 3-2, Casabon bounced back after dropping the first set to defeat Lukas Engelhardt on Court 4 and tie the match. That left Klopper and Isac Strömberg in a battle on Court 3, and after falling in the second set Klopper recovered to claim a tiebreaker in the final set as Vandy earned its first league win of the season.
“These young men are mental giants and here’s why: It’s not because they won today, but because, despite taking some tough losses over the past 3 weeks and getting knocked down, this group has continued to rise up, trust the process and continued to work and work and work,” head coach Scott Brown said. “I don’t know too many teams that can do that and it’s what makes this group so special to me.”
Casabon and Nathan Cox won the last five games on Court 2 to give the Dores an early advantage in doubles, and when Klopper and Michael Ross followed on the first court with a victory in a tiebreaker over the No. 54-ranked duo of Nikola Slavic and Engelhardt Vandy had a 1-0 lead.
The Rebels (9-7, 2-3 SEC) bounced back with singles wins in straight sets on Courts 1, 4 and 5 from Slavic, John Hallquist Lithén and Noah Schlagenhauf to build a 3-1 advantage. Hugo Coquelin answered for the Dores with a victory on Court 6 to begin the Commodores’ comeback.
“Winning a 4-3 on the road and at Ole Miss, whom I have a ton of respect for, is never easy,” said Brown. “And to have our two team captains bring it home makes it extra special. Now we have to rise up again tomorrow, with focus and determination, and prepare for another tough weekend against Auburn and Tennessee at home. Fight Dores!”
Singles
1. Slavic (Ole Miss) def. #57 Danil Panarin 6-3, 6-0
2. Hallquist Lithén (Ole Miss) def. Cox 6-4, 6-2
3. Klopper (Vanderbilt) def. Strömberg 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2)
4. Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. Engelhardt 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Schlagenhauf (Ole Miss) def. Ross 6-2, 6-4
6. Coquelin (Vanderbilt) def. Carson Baker 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
1. Klopper/Ross (Vanderbilt) def. #54 Slavic/Engelhardt 7-6 (3)
2. Casabon/Cox (Vanderbilt) def. Baker/Hallquist Lithén 6-2
3. Coquelin/Panarin (Vanderbilt) vs. Strömberg/Schlagenhauf 6-6 unfinished
Up Next: Vanderbilt returns home to take on Auburn Friday at 4 p.m.
