NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a gritty performance Sunday morning, the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team defeated Texas Tech 5-2 for the team’s eighth win of the season.
The Commodores began the contest taking the doubles point on courts one and three and continuing their success in singles play.
“I didn’t think we played great today in doubles, but we found a way to win the point,” said head coach Ian Duvenhage. “Then we really got ourselves in a jam in singles, losing three-of-five first sets. But Billy Rowe and Panu Virtanen did a great job getting us those two singles wins in straight sets. And we really needed both Danny (Valent) and Cam (Klinger) to come back and win their second set tiebreakers. Those second set wins were clutch, because had we lost those two we would have lost the match.”
VU’s number three doubles team, Billy Rowe and Lachlan McPhee, kicked off the match by only allowing Jolan Cailleau and Carlos DiLaura two games in a 6-2 victory. The Red Raiders leveled the doubles advantage, picking up a 6-2 win on court two over Panu Virtanen and Baker Newman.
Cameron Klinger and Pen Binet defeated TTU’s Ronit Bisht and Alex Sendegeya, 6-3, to clinch the 1-0 advantage.
In singles action, Rowe gave the ‘Dores the 2-0 lead with a huge straight set victory over his first ranked opponent. The freshman downed No. 120 Bisht, 6-2, 6-2. Following a 6-2, 6-4 victory by Bjorn Thomson over Baker Newman, the Red Raiders chipped away at the lead, 2-1. Texas Tech’s Sendegeya tied the match with a three-set win on court four over McPhee, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Back-to-back victories by Klinger on one and Virtanen on six clinched the Vanderbilt victory.
Klinger’s victory at number one singles was the sophomore’s first ranked win over a Top 25 opponent this season, coming back to defeat No. 25 Cailleau in a close three-setter, 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-4. Virtanen earned his first clinch for the black and gold and second victory overall with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win over Pyry Hyrkkonen.
The Commodores took their final win of the morning on court two as No. 97 Valent’s opponent, No. 104 Connor Curry, defaulted with the match tied in the third set, 6-4, 6-7, 3-3.
Vanderbilt’s next home match is scheduled for Feb. 27th at 2 p.m. against North Carolina.
