TULSA, Okla. — Vanderbilt men's tennis will need to make a run through the consolation draw at the ITA All-American Championships hosted by Tulsa after dropping both singles and doubles matches on Wednesday.
No. 48 ranked junior Pablo Martinez Gomez got the ball rolling for the Dores in singles, making his fall season debut against No. 28 Connor Henry Van Schalkwyk of Baylor. Van Schalkwyk grabbed an early lead and retained it throughout the match, sinking Martinez Gomez 6-2, 6-3.
Martinez Gomez returned in the afternoon partnered with sophomore Hoyoung Roh, making up the No. 30 ranked duo in the ITA's preseason rankings. They again matched up with Baylor counterparts, facing No. 14 Van Schalkwyk alongside Erik Schiessl. The Commodores cruised early, taking a 6-2 first set advantage. The Bears responded in the second, however, evening the contest up after a 6-3 frame.
In the match tiebreaker, both sides stayed within a point of one another for the majority of the set. Vanderbilt looked to have seized the momentum after moving to a match point up 9-8, but it was Baylor who struck last. Van Schalkwyk and Schiessl rattled off three straight points to seal the result.
Martinez Gomez and Hoyoung's tournament will continue as the pair now look to rally through the consolation bracket. Martinez Gomez must make the singles consolation finals to earn a qualifying spot at the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships in November. In doubles, the two must finish as consolation champions to secure a qualifying berth.
Next up, Martinez Gomez matches up with No. 66 ranked Jules Leroux of NC State, who defeated junior Hugo Coquelin in singles qualifying on Monday. For doubles, Martinez Gomez and Hoyoung are set to face Tulsa's Calum Jestin and Nikita Volonski. Match dates and times are still to be determined. Livestreaming for All-Americans is accessible online. Fans can find tournament information and other ITA-related news on the ITA All-American Championships website page.
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Main Draw (Day 1) Results:
SINGLES
No. 28 Van Schalkwyk [Baylor] def. No. 48 Martinez Gomez [Vanderbilt] 6-2, 6-3
DOUBLES
No. 14 Van Schalkwyk/Schiessl [Baylor] def. No. 30 Martinez Gomez/Hoyoung [Vanderbilt] 2-6, 6-3, 11-9