NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s 33rd-ranked men’s tennis team earned its second win in as many days with a 6-1 defeat of Memphis on Sunday at the Currey Tennis Center.
“I’m very happy with where we are,” Vanderbilt head coach Ian Duvenhage said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but so far so good.”
Vanderbilt (3-0) won all three doubles matches and five of the six singles matches against Memphis (2-2).
“That was the best doubles we had played all year,” Duvenhage said. “Especially against their No. 1 team that had won Southern Collegiates in the fall. I thought Evan (Dufaux) and Nick (Cromydas) played extremely well (at No. 1). We played a lot better at No. 2 (Ryan Preston and Bryant Salcedo) and we worked on it hard this morning before the match and the guys at three (Vijay Paul and Adam Baker) did what they had been doing.”
In singles, Vanderbilt took a 2-0 lead in the match as sophomore Vijay Paul continued his hot play with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over the Tigers’ Michael Gaerthoeffner. Ranked No. 79 in singles, Paul is now 3-0 in dual competition this spring.
With Vanderbilt holding a 2-0 advantage, the Tigers were able to cut the deficit to one (2-1), as Memphis’ Leon Nasemann downed Vanderbilt junior Nick Cromydas, 6-3, 6-4.
Vanderbilt quickly added to its lead through the No. 1 singles position, as senior Ryan Preston earned his second consecutive victory with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Memphis’ Amrit Narasimhan.
Following Preston’s victory, fellow senior Evan Dufaux clinched the Commodores’ victory with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Memphis’ Charlie Ramsay. With the win, Dufaux moved to 3-0 this spring.
In the No. 4 position, freshman Bryant Salcedo won a hard-fought match against Memphis’ Jordan Smith. The match went three sets with Salcedo winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
In the No. 6 singles match Vanderbilt’s Alex Zotov defeated Memphis’ Benedikt Fischer, 6-4, 7-6(7-2), to give Vanderbilt its sixth point.
“In singles, the first match against Michigan State was jittery, yesterday was better and today was even better than yesterday,” Duvenhage said.”
For the first time this season, Vanderbilt was able to win all three of the doubles matches. The Commodores also won the doubles point for the third straight time.
In the No. 1 position Vanderbilt’s Evan Dufaux and Nick Cromydas stayed perfect in dual play with an 8-4 win over Memphis’ Amrit Narasimhan.
Earning their first win in dual competition this spring was Ryan Preston and Bryant Salcedo in the No. 2 position. Preston and Salcedo defeated the Tigers’ duo of Spencer Heflin and Leon Nasemann, 8-6.
In the No. 3 position, Vijay Paul and Adam Baker stayed perfect in dual play with an 8-4 win over Memphis’ Jordan Smith and Benedikt Fischer.
The Commodores will return to the courts on Thursday when they host New Mexico at 2 p.m. Live stats of the event will be available on vucommodores.com. Admission to the match is free.
Vanderilt 6 (3-0) Memphis 1 (2-2)
Nashville, Tenn.
Currey Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Nick Cromydas/Evan Dufaux (VU) def. Amrit Narasimhan (UM), 8-4
2. Ryan Preston/Bryant Salcedo (VU) def. Spencer Heflin/Leon Nasemann (UM), 8-6
3. Vijay Paul/Adam Baker (VU) def. Jordan Smith/Benedikt Fischer (UM), 8-4
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. Ryan Preston (VU) def. Amrit Narasimhan (UM), 6-3, 6-4
2. No. 79 Vijay Paul (VU) def. Michael Gaerthoeffner (UM), 6-1, 6-2
3. Leon Nasemann (UM) def. Nick Cromydas (VU), 6-3, 6-4
4. Bryant Salcedo (VU) def. Jordan Smith (UM), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
5. Evan Dufaux (VU) def. Charlie Ramsay (UM), 6-2, 7-5
6. Alex Zotov (VU) def. Benedikt Fischer (UM), 6-4, 7-6(7-2)
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1, 5, 4, 6
