NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the consolation match of the ITA Kick-Off, the No. 25 Commodores defeated host school No. 1 Kentucky in a 4-3 victory.
“After losing a tough 4-3 match in heartbreak fashion, we won a nailbiter 4-3,” said head coach Ian Duvenhage. “I’m proud of the way our team competed and especially happy for Suresh [Eswaran] for clinching the win.”
The Commodores continued their consistency in the doubles department, posting wins on courts two and three. Freshman Baker Newman and sophomore Ryan Smith teamed up to defeat UK’s Bushamuka/Lopex; 6-3. On court three Suresh Eswaram and Daniel Valent cruised to an easy 6-1 win over Nils Ellefsen and Trey Yates.
In singles action No. 10 Gonzales Austin delivered the Commodores their second match point, as he defeated No. 96 Beck Pennington; 7-5, 6-3.
Freshman Daniel Valent soon followed Austin’s lead, defeating Kevin Lai; 6-4, 7-5.
With the Commodores up 3-0, William Bushamuka’s defeat of No. 73 Rhys Johnson began a streak as the Wildcats took wins over the Commodores on courts three, five, and two. As the match was tied at 3-all, for the second day in a row the match fell on the shoulders of senior Suresh Eswaran.
Like yesterday, Eswaran’s No. 6 singles match was no easy feat, battling through his first set to win the tiebreak; 7-6(4). With the motivation of the last set and Saturday’s hard loss, Eswaran powered through his second set with a 6-1 victory, clinching the match for the `Dores.
Vandy will be back in action Jan. 30 as they take on Indiana at 2 p.m.
2015 ITA Kick-Off Weekend – Lexington Sub-Regional
Match #3
No. 24 Vanderbilt 4, No. 19 Kentucky 3
Hilary J. Boone Varsity Tennis Center – Lexington, Ky.
Consolation Final
Jan. 24, 2015
Doubles: (Order of finish: 3, 2*)
1- AJ Austin/Rhys Johnson (VU) led Beck Pennington/Kevin Lai (UK) 4-3 (DNF)
2- Baker Newman/Ryan Smith (VU) def. William Bushamuka/Jerry Lopez (UK) 6-3
3- Suresh Eswaran/Danny Valent (VU) def. Nils Ellefsen/Trey Yates (UK) 6-1
Singles: (Order of finish: 1, 4, 3, 5, 2, 6*)
1- AJ Austin (VU) def. No. 96 Beck Pennington (UK) 7-5, 6-3
2- Jerry Lopez (UK) def. Kris Yee 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (3)
3- William Bushamuka (UK) def. Rhys Johnson (VU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
4- Danny Valent (VU) def. Kevin Lai 6-4, 7-5
5- Trey Yates (UK) def. Baker Newman (VU) 6-1, 6-3
6- Suresh Eswaran (VU) def. Jake Stefanik (UK) 7-6 (4), 6-1
