COLLEGE STATION, Texas. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis went into College Station and took down No. 14 Texas A&M, 4-3, at the Mitchell Tennis Center on Sunday for its first top-15 win of the season.
“It is never easy to win in College Station on their courts,” head coach Scott Brown said. “I don’t care what kind of team A&M has, it is always a war. The conditions are tough. But our theme these last few matches is finding ways to win; we love winning ugly. And today was another gritty match.”
The Commodores rebounded in doubles play after dropping the early point at Oklahoma with simultaneous wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Having the home crowd at its back, Texas A&M (9-5, 2-2 SEC) delivered the first punch to begin singles action. No. 78 ranked Theo Papamalamis got the ball rolling for the Aggies with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of freshman Hoyoung Roh. Togan Tokic followed suite not long after, downing senior Nathan Cox 7-5, 6-1 to end his unbeaten streak.
“We came out and played much better doubles,” Brown said. “That might have been one of our best doubles points of the season. It was a huge turnaround in doubles from the Oklahoma match. I’m super proud of the guys for stepping up, coming out and responding after losing the doubles point on Friday.”
Freshman Jack Satterfield notched another key win for Vanderbilt (11-3, 3-1 SEC), evening the score 2-2 after sinking Lathan Skrobarcek 7-6 (4), 6-2. The momentum shifted back the way of Texas A&M at No. 3 singles as Markus Molder moved past junior Danil Panarin 6-3, 7-5. Staring down another deficit on the road, the Dores brought the fight with their backs against the wall. Sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez generated a second consecutive ranked victory at the No. 2 spot, fending off No. 108 Alex Frusina 6-4, 6-4.
At 3-3, the match hinged on the bottom of the lineup in a matchup between junior Hugo Coquelin and Ritesh Patil. After Coquelin took the first set, Patil bounced back in the second 3-6 to force a third frame. But it was all black and gold from there as Coquelin left no doubt with a 6-0 final set, clinching the match for the Dores.
“I give these guys all the credit in the world,” Brown said. “They’re the ones hitting the tennis ball, buying in to the culture. Wins like these started when I got here nearly three years ago, with guys like Nathan Cox, Jeremie Casabon, Joubert Klopper, Michael Ross – even Hugo and Danil, who were freshmen. We don’t get these last two wins if those guys weren’t buying into the culture, building our toughness and setting the foundation for the future.”
“It was another day we didn’t play our best, but we sucked it up, didn’t complain and battled to the end,” Brown concluded. “These guys are road warriors. They thrive in tough environments, they love playing anywhere, anytime. They are true competitors, and hats off to them for stepping up today. We’re going to turn our full focus ahead now and move on to start preparing for another road match against Arkansas on Friday.”
The victory is the first time since 2016 that Vanderbilt has won back-to-back SEC road matches. The Commodores continue on with their best start since 2019. Vandy vaults into fourth in the SEC standings after the completion of all matches on Sunday.
Vanderbilt makes the trek to Fayetteville for a Friday battle with Arkansas, marking the third contest of its four-match road trip. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 37 Vanderbilt 4, No. 14 Texas A&M 3
Doubles
1. Papamalamis/Tokac [Texas A&M] vs. Cox/Hoyoung [Vanderbilt] 3-5, unfinished
2. Martinez Gomez/Panarin [Vanderbilt] def. Frusina/Skrobarcek [Texas A&M] 6-1
3. Coquelin/Satterfield [Vanderbilt] def. Tiago Pires/Kriish Tyagi [Texas A&M] 6-1
Singles
1. No. 78 Papamalamis [Texas A&M] def. Hoyoung [Vanderbilt] 6-2, 6-1
2. Martinez Gomez [Vanderbilt] def. No. 108 Frusina [Texas A&M] 6-4, 6-4
3. Markus Molder [Texas A&M] def. Panarin [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 7-5
4. Tokac [Texas A&M] def. Cox [Vanderbilt] 7-5, 6-1
5. Satterfield [Vanderbilt] def. Skrobarcek [Texas A&M] 7-6 (4), 6-2
6. Coquelin [Vanderbilt] def. Patil [Texas A&M] 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,4,5,3,2,6)
