NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 15 Vanderbilt men’s tennis team rebounded , Sunday, after a tough loss to No. 20 Texas in the ITA Kick-off opener. The Commodores knocked off SEC counterpart LSU, 4-1, in the ITA Kick-off consolation final at the Currey Tennis Center.
Vanderbilt got the morning off with a 6-4 loss at No. 3 doubles by Suresh Eswaran and Kris Yee, but that was followed up quickly by a 6-4 win by No. 2 Gonzales Austin and Ryan Lipman.
Rhys Johnson and Ryan Smith went up a break early at No. 2 doubles, but LSU broke back at 3-2 to get back on serve. The Vandy duo forced at tiebreak winning their serve at 4-5. However, the `Dores couldn’t take control, falling 5-7 in the breaker, dropping the doubles point.
Lipman got the Commodores on the board against No. 23 LSU in singles, cruising to a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2. Yee kept the points coming, winning 6-2, 6-3 at No. 5, to give Vandy the 2-1 lead.
Anton Kovrigin, playing at No. 4 singles, dominated his first set, winning 6-2 over Boris Arias. In the second set, Kovrigin jumped out to a 3-1 lead before Arias broke to bring it back to 3-3. Kovrigin broke back, and then won the next two games to win the match 6-2, 6-3.
At No. 1 singles, 9th-ranked Austin matched up with No. 72 Chris Simpson. The two split sets to open the match, Austin winning 6-1 in the first, and Simpson winning 6-2 in the second. The Vandy junior took control early in the third set, jumping to a 3-1 lead after breaking in the fourth game. Simpson fought back to 3-3 before Austin got a break in the eighth game, with an opportunity to clinch the match.
Following a few well played points, Austin ripped a hard backhand, forcing Simpson’s shot far of the end line, to clinch the match for the Commodores.
Vanderbilt will now look ahead to Northwestern on February 2, at 12 p.m., from the Currey Tennis Center.
#15 Vanderbilt 4, #23 LSU 1
Singles competition
1. #9 Gonzales Austin (VU) def. #72 Chris Simpson (LSU) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3
2. Ryan Lipman (VU) def. Andrew Korinek (LSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. #57 Rhys Johnson (VU) vs. Tam Trinh (LSU) 4-6, 6-2, 1-3, unfinished
4. Anton Kovrigin (VU) def. Boris Arias (LSU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Kris Yee (VU) def. Justin Butsch (LSU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Jeffrey Offerdahl (VU) vs. Harrison Kennedy (LSU) 3-3, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #2 Gonzales Austin/Ryan Lipman (VU) def. #60 Chris Simpson/Boris Arias (LSU) 6-4
2. #46 Eric Perez/Tam Trinh (LSU) def. Rhys Johnson/Ryan Smith (VU) 6-5 (7-5)
3. Andrew Korinek/Justin Butsch (LSU) def. Suresh Eswaran/Kris Yee (VU) 6-4
Match Notes:
LSU 1-2; National ranking #23
Vanderbilt 3-1; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,5,4,1)
ITA Kick-off match – Consolation final
