Aug. 26, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The 2009-10 men’s tennis season is quickly approaching, and when it does arrive, many members of Vanderbilt’s team will be riding the momentum from a successful summer campaign.
Many Commodores competed on the ITA Summer Circuit, where players earned numerous titles and runner-up finishes. Winning singles championships were senior Vijay Paul and junior Bryant Salcedo. Sophomore Alex DiValerio earned a runner-up finish in singles and he also teamed with junior Andy Pulido to win a doubles title.
Vanderbilt’s first success on the circuit came at the Midwest regional July 6-9 at Notre Dame. At the tournament, DiValerio and Pulido won the doubles title with an 8-6 win over the duo of Kelly (Notre Dame) and Sicora (Minnesota). DiValerio also advanced to the finals of the singles draw at the same tournament before falling to Notre Dame’s Dan Stahl, 2-6, 6-1, (10-6)
Paul earned his singles title in the Central regional at Washington University (St. Louis) July 10-14. Paul was the No. 1 seed in the tournament and defeated John Watts, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Salcedo won the singles title at the East regional at Penn State July 11-14 when he defeated Jason Lee of Penn State, 6-3, 6-1.
Many Commodores also had strong performances at the ITA National Summer Championships August 8-12 in Bloomington, Ind. In singles, DiValerio advanced to the semifinals before losing to Tennessee’s Matt Brewer, 6-1, 6-0. Junior Adam Baker and Zotov advanzed to the second round of the main draw.
In doubles, Baker and Zotov advanced to the semifinals of the main draw before losing, 8-4, to the team of Havens and Stahl of Notre Dame. DiValerio also competed in the doubles draw and advanced to the second round.
Freshman Ryan Lipman also had a strong showing this summer as he finished runner-up at the USTA Boys’ 18 National Championships in August. His finish earned him a wildcard into the U.S. Open qualifying draw, where he lost a close match in the first round.
Vanderbilt opens its season Sept. 17-21 at the Southern Collegiates in Athens, Ga.