NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The doubles point proved more pivotal than ever in the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team’s 4-3 Thursday night loss to the 24th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
“It’s hard to lose,” said head coach Ian Duvenhage. “We’ve obviously taken it on the chin few times in a row, but honestly I’m proud of the way we’re competing. We’re hanging in there and getting better. I see progress in so many areas, and the only negative was that we didn’t win the match.
“What’s been happening is some of our guys have lost and you can tell late in matches that they’re unsure of themselves. I told the team following the match that I’ve never seen a player or a team that does things the right way not turn the corner. We played this match the right way, and we didn’t win it, but if we keep playing this way we will turn the corner.”
In tandems, the Dores came out on fire, as No. 39 Lachlan McPhee and Billy Rowe dominated court one with a 6-0 upset over No. 27 Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallert. The Wildcats followed the loss with their first victory of the day, a 6-3 win against Daniel Valent and Baker Newman.
VU nearly secured the doubles point on court two as No. 77 Will Bushamuka and Nils Ellefsen barely edged Pen Binet and Panu Virtanen in the deciding tiebreaker, 7-6(3).
“We had chances in doubles,” Duvenhage recalled. “I thought Billy and Lachlan played as close to a flawless match as I’ve seen. I didn’t think we played very well at three; usually those guys come through for us. But I’m proud of how we competed in singles.”
Following the close loss, the black and gold rallied, taking four first sets on courts one, two, three and five. While Alex Ross dropped his opener, the sophomore battled back after being down 5-1 to force a tiebreaker.
Two of VU’s three victories came over top 25 opponents, with wins generated by juniors Valent and Newman. All of Vandy’s wins came in straight-sets on courts one through three.
UK nabbed the 2-0 advantage, as No. 113 Ellefsen defeated McPhee 6-3, 6-3 for the first singles win.
Vandy earned its first point on court three. Freshman Billy Rowe downed redshirt-senior Beck Pennington in two sets, 6-4, 7-5.
The Commodores leveled the match, 2-all, in one of Baker Newman’s best matches to date. The Miami native upset No. 24 Ryo Matsumura, 6-4, 7-5 for his second ranked win of the year and first top 25-career victory.
“Baker is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached,” said Duvenhage. “He hangs in there like the best of them, but sometimes isn’t methodical and gets ahead of himself. Today he played one of his best matches. He was as methodical as I’ve ever seen him, and when he plays like that he’s tough to beat.”
As rain began to pour, Kentucky took court six, 7-6(3), 6-3 over Ross for the 3-2 advantage. The Cats clinched the win once play resumed inside the Currey Tennis Center with Trey Yates defeating Panu Virtanen in three hard fought sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Following the clinch, Valent and No. 17 Bushamuka continued to spar in a spirited match on court one. After finding himself in a 5-2 first set deficit, the Commodore battled back, breaking to force a tiebreaker and take the advantage, 7-6(3). Like the first set, both opponents played tight points, which generated the forth tiebreaker of the match. Valent earned his highest ranked career win, taking the second set, 7-6(5).
Vanderbilt’s next match will be the team’s final home competition of the season on April 7. The Commodores will honor senior Pen Binet at 3:45 p.m. with the match against Alabama starting at 4 p.m.
