AUBURN, Ala. — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team suffered a 4-3 road defeat to Auburn on Friday.
Despite the Dores entering with nine doubles wins in their last 11 matches, the Tigers struck first. Auburn picked up wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions to secure an early advantage. The clinch marks the first doubles victory in SEC play for the Tigers.
Vanderbilt looked to be shifting the momentum in singles; the Dores grabbed first set leads at the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 positions. Auburn, however, clamped down soon after. No. 124 Will Nolan ousted No. 98-ranked junior Nathan Cox 6-4, 6-3, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Senior Michael Ross got Vanderbilt on the board with a 6-2, 6-1 result at No. 4 singles. Auburn added insurance at No. 6 singles as Nicholas Heng moved past freshman Callum Markowitz 7-5, 6-0.
With the Commodores one point away from defeat, sophomore Danil Panarin earned Vanderbilt’s second match point. He shut down Auburn’s singles wins leader, No. 112 Alex Frusina, 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-4). The Tigers sunk the Dores’ hopes at No. 3 singles in a 7-5, 6-4 win for Billy Blaydes over freshman Pablo Martinez Gomez. Fifth year Henry Ruger notched the final point of the day for Vanderbilt, defeating Hamza Nasridinov 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.
No. 32 Vanderbilt (8-4, 1-2 SEC) visits No. 25 Alabama (8-3, 0-2 SEC) on Sunday to round out its road trip, with play set for a 1 p.m. start. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 45 Auburn 4, No. 32 Vanderbilt 3
Doubles
1. No. 9 Blaydes/Nolan (Auburn) def. No. 87 Cox/Ross (Vanderbilt) 6-1
2. Martinez Gomez/Panarin (Vanderbilt) vs. Frusina/Joey Phillips (Auburn) 4-3, unfinished
3. Heng/Jake Kennedy (Auburn) def. Giuseppe Cerasuolo/Ruger (Vanderbilt) 6-2
Singles
1. No. 124 Nolan (Auburn) def. No. 98 Cox (Vanderbilt) 6-4, 6-3
2. Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. No. 112 Frusina (Auburn) 7-5, 3-6, 1-0
3. Blaydes (Auburn) def. Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) 7-5, 6-4
4. Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Phillips (Auburn) 6-2, 6-1
5. Ruger (Vanderbilt) def. Nasridinov (Auburn) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
6. Heng (Auburn) def. Markowitz (Vanderbilt) 7-5, 6-0
