NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team concluded the first day of the SEC Fall Classic at the Currey Tennis Center going 7-5 in singles play and 5-3 in doubles. The Commodores advance two doubles teams and four players in the singles main draw. The remaining five singles players will participate in the consolation draw.
Rhys Johnson, Ryan Smith, Kris Yee and Gonzales Austin all advance to the round of 32 after winning their only singles matches of the day Friday, after each having first round byes.
Johnson will play the top-seeded Tom Jomby of Kentucky on Friday, while both Smith and Yee will face opponents seeded nine through sixteen.
The most gutsy win of the day belongs to Smith, who after spraining his ankle in the third set came from behind to knock off Saxon Buehning of Alabama 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5.
Suresh Eswaran, Mason Vierra and Anton Kovrigin each won their first-round match but were unable to win their second-rounders, with Vierra and Kovrigin each taking their opponent all three sets.
Ryan Lipman and Austin advance to the round of 16 in doubles play after defeating a tough Auburn squad, 8-6. Vierra and Kovrigin will also advance to the round of 16 after beating Ole Miss, 8-6, to close the first day of action.
Friday’s action will begin with the round of 16 doubles at 8:00 a.m., and will continue at 9:30 with the round of 32 in the singles main draw.
Thursday Results:
Singles – First Round
Anton Kovrigin def. Vinod Gowda (MISS): 6-4, 6-2
Mason Vierra def. John M. Busch (LSU): 6-3, 6-3
Sean Karl (UT) def. Pen Binet: 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
Suresh Eswaran def. Nils Ellefsen (UK): 6-3, 6-3
Jordan Angus (MSU) def. Jeffrey Offerdahl: 6-2, 6-4
Singles – Second Round
Rhys Johnson def. Mike Alford (UF): 6-4, 6-1
Ryan Smith def. Saxon Buehning (ALA): 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5
Frankie Colunga (TAMU) def. Anton Kovrigin: 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
Markus Kerner (UT) def. Mason Vierra: 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Kris Yee def. Hall Fess (ARK): 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-1
Gonzales Austin def. Christian Lee (LSU): 6-4, 6-4
Gordon Watson (UF) def. Suresh Eswaran: 7-5, 6-3
Doubles – First Round
Yee/Binet (VU) def. Munoz/Fess (ARK): 8-5
Kovrigin/Vierra (VU) def. Marino/Lee (ARK): 8-3
Doubles – Second Round
Brewer/Kenyon (ALA) def. Johnson/Smith (VU): 8-5
Lipman/Austin (VU) def. Cochrane/Van Dooren (AUB): 8-6
Lipman/Piro (UF) def. Yee/Binet (VU): 8-4
Adams/Vinsant (TAMU) def. Eswaran/Offerdahl (VU): 8-5
Kovrigin/Vierra (VU) def. Gowda/Wilder (MISS): 8-6
Friday Schedule:
Doubles – Third Round (16)
Lipman/Austin (VU) vs. Parlic/Thomasen (ARK) – 8:00 AM
Kovrigin/Vierra (VU) vs. Stropp/Angus (MSU) – 8:00 AM
Singles Main – Third Round (32)
Johnson (VU) vs. Jomby (UK) – 9:30 AM
Smith (VU) vs. Kallberg (MISS) – 9:30 AM
Yee (VU) vs. Vinsant (TAMU) – 9:30 AM
Austin (VU) vs. Wilder (MISS) – 9:30 AM
Singles Consolation – First Round
Offerdahl (VU) vs. Arias (LSU) – 10:30 AM
Vierra (VU) vs. Bhat (UT) – 11:00 AM
Singles Consolation – Second Round
Eswaran (VU) vs. Jeske (ARK) – 11:00 AM
Binet (VU) vs. Herndon (ARK) – 11:30 AM
Kovrigin (VU) vs. TBD – 3:00 PM
