ATLANTA – The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team opened play at the Georgia Tech Invitational on Friday with three players advancing to the quarterfinals in singles play.
Vijay Paul and Nick Cromydas advanced to the quarterfinals in the “A” draw with a pair of wins, while Alex Zotov advanced to the quarterfinals in the “B” draw.
“As is often the case with non team matches, it is hard to generalize where we are at as a team,” head coach Ian Duvenhage said. “However, there were a lot of things that I liked tonight. Alex Zotov, Nick Cromydas, and Vijay Paul all advanced to the third round, and that was good to see.”
Also earning victories on the day were Scott Lieberman and James Moye, who each advanced out of the round of 32 in the “B” draw.
Paul topped Georgia Tech’s Miguel Muguruza, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in the round of 32 and earned a 7-5, 6-3 win over Middle Tennessee State’s R. Cowden in the round of 16.
Cromydas, the No. 2 seed in the “A” draw, picked up a 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 win over Georgia Tech’s E. Potvin in the round of 32. In the round of 16, Cromydas defeated Georgia’s J. Varela.
“Nick played like I remember him playing last season,” Duvenhage said. “It was good to see him do well again.”
Zotov continued his strong match play with wins over Lyons of Davidson in the round of 32 and a straight-set victory over Louisville’s Ben Clos in the round of 16.
Zotov is coming off an appearance in the finals at the Southern Intercollegiates in Athens, Ga., in September.
Also in the “B” draw, Lieberman earned a 6-4, 6-1 win over Louisville’s Pablo Camacho before falling in the round of 16. Moye topped Davidson’s A. Hefter, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the round of 32.
Vanderbilt’s lone victory in doubles play came courtesy of Evan Dufaux and Adam Baker, who paired to defeat Louisville’s team of B. Clos and P. Camacho, 8-6.
The Commodores will continue competition at the Georgia Tech Invitational on Saturday.
A Singles Main Draw:
Round of 32:
Vijay Paul (Vanderbilt) def. Miguel Muguruza (GT), 7-6(5), 6-2
Nick Cromydas (Vanderbilt) def. E. Potvin (GT), 6-4, 0-6, 7-5
J. Hunt (UGA) def. Evan Dufaux (Vanderbilt), 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-2
A. Cevka (GSU) def. Adam Baker (Vanderbilt), 6-2, 6-4
Round of 16:
Vijay Paul (Vanderbilt) def. R. Cowden (MTSU), 7-5, 6-3
Nick Cromydas (Vanderbilt) def. J. Varela (UGA)
A Singles Consolation Draw:
Round of 16:
C. Vitulli (UGA) def. Adam Baker (Vanderbilt) 6-1, 6-4
B Singles Main Draw:
Round of 32:
Alex Zotov (Vanderbilt) def. W. Lyons (Davidson), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
James Moye (Vanderbilt) def. A. Hefter (Davidson) 6-2, 7-6(3)
S. Krstevski (S. Miss) def. Andy Pulido (Vanderbilt), 6-3, 6-4
Scott Lieberman (Vanderbilt) def. P. Camacho (Louisville), 6-4, 6-1
Round of 16:
Alex Zotov (Vanderbilt) def. Ben Clos (Louisville) 6-2, 6-1
A. Petropolous (Auburn) def. Scott Lieberman (Vanderbilt), 6-3, 6-2
T. Barnoud (Louisville) vs. James Moye (Vanderbilt)
B Singles Consolation Draw:
B. Malet (Ga. Southern) def. Andy Pulido (Vanderbilt), 6-4, 6-3
A Doubles Main Draw:
Adam Baker and Evan Dufaux (Vanderbilt) def. B. Clos and P. Camacho (Louisville), 8-6
J. Hunt and C. Vitulli (UGA) def. Vijay Paul and Alex Zotov (Vanderbilt), 8-3
