GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 48 Vanderbilt men’s tennis team lost a nip-and-tuck match to No. 29 Florida in an SEC matchup at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex on Friday. The Commodores fall to 11-10, 2-7 in SEC play, while the Gators move to 11-9, 5-5 SEC.
Commodores Nathan Cox and Jeremie Casabon won their doubles match, but the Gators took the other two to capture the doubles point heading into the singles competition.
The Dores stormed back by taking the first two singles matches. Casabon won his second match of the day to give the Dores their first point, defeating Nate Bonetto in straight sets. Playing on the first line, Vanderbilt’s No. 72-ranked Danil Panarin upset Florida’s No. 57 Jeremy Jin 7-5, 6-4 to give the Dores a 2-1 lead.
Vandy’s Joubert Klopper took the first set over No. 115 Aidan Kim but fell in three sets, and the Gators also won a third set over Michael Ross after he fought back to send it to a decider. Hugo Coquelin threatened to take his match to a third set but fell in a tight 6-4, 7-5 match. Cox led No. 85 Adhithya Ganesan 5-3 in the third when the Gators captured the deciding fourth point.
“I am really proud of how our team competed, fought and represented the Black and Gold today against Florida,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Brown. “I loved how our guys responded after losing a tough doubles point. This was much improved from our match against A&M last weekend. Our full focus is now on our next match against the Gamecocks in Columbia on Sunday.”
Singles
1.#72 Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. #57 Jin 7-5, 6-4
2.#115 Kim (Florida) def. Klopper 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
3.Cox (Vanderbilt) vs. #85 Ganesan 3-6, 6-3, 5-3, unfinished
4.Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. Bonetto 6-4, 6-3
5.Nirundorn (Florida) def. Ross 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
6.Edengren (Florida) def. Coquelin 6-4, 7-5
Doubles
1.#42 Bonetto/Kim (Florida) def. Ross/Klopper 6-0
2.Cox/Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. Ganesan/Jin 6-3
3.Edengren/Nirundorn (Florida) def. Panarin/Coquelin 6-4
Up Next: Vanderbilt continues its road trip to Columbia, S.C., where the Dores face No. 19 South Carolina at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
