NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis opened its third doubleheader of the season at home on Sunday, taking on Belmont and Butler—winning both matches.
Belmont
On Court 2, Joubert Klopper and Michael Ross were at the front of the pack, picking up a win against their Bruin opponents. Danil Panarin and Hugo Coquelin followed their lead and defeated Gabriel Sardo and Niklas von Hellens on Court 3 to clinch the doubles point for the Dores.
The Commodores didn’t let up, as Klopper swiftly grabbed another point for Vandy with a straight set win on Court 2. Almost simultaneously, on Court 1 Panarin defeated Belmont’s Alfred Wallin in straight sets alongside Nathan Cox defeating Diego Castro on Court 4. Juan Lopez went point for point against his Bruin opponent, winning the first set and then coming up short in the second and third. Jeremie Casabon and Coquelin closed out the match for Vanderbilt, posting a 6-1 win against the Bruins.
Doubles
1. No. 59 Casabon/Cox (Vanderbilt) vs. Castro/Wallin 6-5, unfinished
2. Klopper/Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Ian Cruz/Tomas Luis 6-2
3. Panarin/Coquelin (Vanderbilt) def. Sardo/von Hellens 6-4
Singles
1. Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. Wallin 6-0, 6-4
2. Klopper (Vanderbilt) def. Luis 6-2, 6-2
3. Cruz (Belmont) def. Lopez 6-7 (3-7), 6-1, 1-0 (10-3)
4. Cox (Vanderbilt) def. Castro 6-4, 6-4
5. Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. von Hellens 6-4, 6-4
6. Coquelin (Vanderbilt) def. Ruben Busch 6-3, 6-3
Vanderbilt posted a 6-1 win over Belmont.
Butler
The second match of the day started with the Dores again picking up the doubles point. Klopper and Ross again led the Dores, posting a 6-2 win over Butler’s Patrick Joss and Rahulniket Konakanchi. No. 59 duo Cox and Casabon followed on Court 1, claiming the point for Vandy.
In singles, the Commodores continued their winning streak with all six singles matches taken in straight sets.
Doubles
1. No. 59 Cox/Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. Alvaro Huete Vadillo/Nicolas Arts 6-2
2. Ross/Klopper (Vanderbilt) def. Joss/Konakanchi 6-2
3. Panarin/Coquelin (Vanderbilt) vs. Nicholas Balthazor/Nicholas Shirley 4-3, unfinished
Singles
1. Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. Huete Vadillo 6-2, 6-1
2. Klopper (Vanderbilt) def. Arts 6-4, 6-1
3. Cox (Vanderbilt) def. Konakanchi 6-3, 6-2
4. Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. Joss 6-0, 6-1
5. Alexandre Hillhouse (Vanderbilt) def. Arnesh Singh 6-1, 6-1
6. Connor Robb-Wilcox (Vanderbilt) def. Balthazor 6-3, 6-1
The Commodores were victorious against the Bulldogs, posting a 7-0 score.
Coach Scott Brown said he is “really proud of how the team responded after our first match and how they came out against Butler. As a collective, I thought we left something on the table against Belmont a little bit. We could’ve been better from an engagement and energy standpoint on certain courts, and that’s something we addressed between matches and the guys responded; Big credit to them- they came out with terrific energy and body language for the second match.
“I’m really proud of how we ended the day and ended the weekend,” Brown added. “I’d like to give credit and call out Jeremie Casabon. He’s done a terrific job these last few weeks leading by example, and that showed today on and off the court. I also want to acknowledge and thank the Commodore fans. We had a great crowd today, and we’re just really thankful for all of the support.
“We’ve got next weekend off, and we’re going to get back to work. Even though we won, we’ve still got things to work on and things we can get better at before we host Northwestern and Michigan State next weekend. Fight, Dores!”
On Deck: Vanderbilt continues home play on Saturday, Feb. 17, hosting Michigan State at noon.
