NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt men’s tennis concluded its doubleheader Sunday with an even 1-1 record after falling to Harvard 4-3 and sweeping Tennessee State 7-0 at the Currey Tennis Center.
Opening the doubleheader against Harvard the Commodores struck first to claim the doubles point.
Senior pair Panu Virtanen and Billy Rowe secured the first victory with a 6-1 win.
The Dores fell at No. 3 6-4 leaving the doubles decision to court 2 where junior George Harwell and sophomore Macsen Sisam won 6-4 to claim the doubles point.
Leading 1-0 heading into singles, Harwell collected the Dores’ first single victory with a straight-set win 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 1 position. Sunday’s win marked Harwell’s ninth-consecutive singles victory.
Harvard made a comeback to take the lead with wins at No. 3, 4 and 5 over the Commodores.
Rowe tied the match for the Dores with a gutsy victory at No. 2.
Rowe won 6-4 in the first set, but fell short in the second 6-4. In the third set, Rowe claimed the match with a 7-6 (4) victory in the tiebreaker.
With the match on the line, sophomore Marcus Ferreira battled to force a third set with a 6-4 win in the second set after a 6-4 loss in the first. The sophomore fought to the end but fell short in the tiebreaker, 7-6 (1).
Harvard clinched the match 4-3 to give the Commodores their first loss at home.
Looking to bounce back against Tennessee State, the Dores commanded the lead by collecting the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2.
After a 6-0 victory by Sisam and Harwell, Rowe and Virtanen stepped up to win 6-1 to notch the doubles point.
With a 1-0 advantage, the Dores swept all first sets against the Tigers with sophomore Christiaan Worst claiming the first singles victory with a straight set 6-0, 6-0 win.
At No. 3, Virtanen claimed a 6-1, 6-0 victory followed by junior Max Freeman clinching the match for the Dores at No. 2 with a 6-0, 6-2 triumph.
Both teams decided to continue play where the Dores remained undefeated to sweep the match 7-0.
Vanderbilt advanced to 6-2 and boasts a 5-1 record at home.
The Dores will return to action Feb. 21 to face Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois.
Follow along with the Commodores as they prepare by following @VandyMTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
