NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team continued its streak of success on Sunday, securing victories over Tennessee Tech and Alabama A&M.
Tennessee Tech
Joubert Klopper and Danil Panarin led the Dores with a 6-2 win on Court 2, and the No. 59 duo Jeremie Casabon and Nathan Cox weren’t far behind, clinching the point with another 6-2 victory leading up to singles play.
Vanderbilt continued to dominate, with Klopper, Panarin and Casabon winning in straight sets. Juan Lopez was victorious in the first set, losing the second and forcing a third where he picked up the Dores fifth point against Tennessee Tech. Cox fought back from a 6-3 loss in the first set to win the second and third, embodying what “Fight, Dores,” means. Alexandre Hillhouse closed out the match, forcing a third set and securing a 7-0 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Doubles
1. #59 Casabon/Cox def. Lucas Bitzer/Davids Spaks (TTU) 6-2
2. Klopper/Panarin def. Paulo Ramos Martin/Alex Alvarez (TTU) 6-2
3. Lopez/Connor Robb-Wilcox vs. Darek Kuczynski/Murilo Burckhardt (TTU) 4-3, unfinished
Singles
1. Klopper def. Burckhardt (TTU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Panarin def. Alvarez (TTU) 6-0, 6-2
3. Lopez def. Martin (TTU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-5)
4. Cox def. Bitzer (TTU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. Casabon def. Spaks (TTU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Hillhouse def. Kuczynski (TTU) 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4)
Alabama A&M
The second match of the day began with Vandy in pursuit of an undefeated season. Lopez and Hugo Coquelin picked up the first win of the match with a 6-1 victory. Klopper/Panarin were unstoppable, clinching the doubles point for the Dores and giving them the advantage heading into singles.
Klopper set the example in singles, securing a clean 6-0, 6-0 win against the Bulldogs’ Vence N’Tcha. Cox, Lopez, Casabon and Panarin also won in straight sets, giving the Commodores a 6-0 lead. Robb-Wilcox wrapped up the match, winning in straight sets and sealing the victory for Vandy.
Doubles
1. #59 Casabon/Cox vs. N’Tcha/Arnav Pathange (AAMU) 5-4, unfinished
2. Klopper/Panarin def. Chetanna Amadike/Yin Chih Lan (AAMU) 6-3
3. Lopez/Coquelin def. Lebogang Mashego/Freddie Lawrence (AAMU) 6-1
Singles
1. Panarin def. Amadike (AAMU) 6-0, 6-3
2. Klopper def. N’Tcha (AAMU) 6-0, 6-0
3. Cox def. Lan (AAMU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Lopez def. Pathange (AAMU) 6-3, 6-0
5. Casabon def. Lawrence (AAMU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Robb-Wilcox def. Mashego (AAMU) 6-0, 6-0
“I was really impressed with the energy and competitiveness of the four teams we played in the doubleheader today and Wednesday,” said coach Scott Brown. “It was exactly what we needed for the first matches of the season. As far as our guys go, I was really pleased overall with our efforts and checking off the boxes. I’m most proud of our growth, and we still have a long way to go but each match we improved on something from the previous match. We’re all learning and growing together, and each player is equally important in the success of the team. Now the focus is on getting ready for the ITA Kickoff next weekend and improving upon what we learned this week.”
On Deck: Vanderbilt will travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the ITA Kickoff Weekend, scheduled to take on Ohio State on Saturday Jan. 27 at 10 a.m.
