NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Friday evening was another gritty match at the Currey Tennis Center as the No. 21 Commodores squared off against the No. 20 Mississippi State Bulldogs. Filled with tiebreakers, third sets, emotional points and lots of cheers coming from the Vanderbilt faithful the stage was set for a Vanderbilt victory, as Gonzales Austin clinched the 4-3 win on court one over MSU. After ending MSU’s five-match win streak, Vanderbilt now owns a 17-6 (7-4) record.
The Bulldogs made quick work of doubles, taking court two 6-0 over the `Dores No. 75 duo of Baker Newman and Pen Binet for their first victory of the day. The Bulldogs’ success continued two courts over as Estevarena/Haden clinched the point with a tight 6-4 win over Daniel Valent and Jeffrey Offerdahl on three.
“Our team did a great job out there today,” said head coach Ian Duvenhage. “I thought once we lost the doubles point it was going to be hard … really hard, and it was, but we found a way to get it done. After doubles we talked about the fact that we needed to give ourselves the best chance at every single position in singles, and that’s what we did.”
No. 83 Daniel Valent added another solid performance over a ranked opponent to his repertoire, as the freshman defeated No. 96 Mate Cutura 6-3, 7-6(5). Valent tied the score at 1-all abd would be the only athlete to win his singles competiton in straight sets.
Senior Suresh Eswaran powered though his first set on five, going up 5-0 before giving up just one game to Schmid. But the Bulldog would not go down easily, taking the second set from Eswaran 6-4. The Sacramento, Calif. native gave VU the one point advantage, taking the second set 6-2.
After being down 5-2 to Estevarena, Rhys Johnson flipped the switch nearly taking his first set 7-5 loss, but came out victorious in his second 6-2. While his performance in the second set gave him the edge, the Argentinian Bulldog leveled the match score once more taking the third set 6-3.
Baker Newman gave another clutch performance for the black and gold, giving VU the 3-2 advantage as he took his second set tiebreak 7-6(6) to split. The battle on court six continued on into the third set with Newman coming away with the victory, defeating MSU’s Julian Cash; 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4.
Like Johnson, Kris Yee fell in his first set, but his 6-3 second set victory over Agarwal saved Vanderbilt from a world of hurt.
“Rhys (Johnson) and Kris (Yee) both lost their first sets and came back, and that kind of momentum makes a difference because if those guys lose in straight sets then we go down 3-0. Instead we won at No. 3 and five and went up 2-1. Our team just did a sensational job.”
The complete Commodore effort continued on as Austin had a battle of his own on court one. After falling 6-4 in his first set to MSU sophomore Floan Lakat, Austin took the second set 6-4. With the 4-1 advantage it seemed that VU had the match in the bag, but Lakat lessened the gap to make the score 5-4. With Yee falling on court four, Austin knew that all hopes rested on his shoulders, providing the necessary motivation to power through his next two games and clinch the Vanderbilt upset over MSU; 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Vandy concludes its regular season on Sunday, hosting the Alabama Crimson Tide at 1:00 p.m. Prior to Sunday’s start the Commodores will honor their three seniors at 12:50. Come out and show your appreciation for all the hard work and dedication Austin, Eswaran, and Offerdahl have given this program throughout their four years.
Results:
No. 21 Vanderbilt 4, No. 20 Mississippi State 3
Doubles
1) No. 2 Rhys Johnson/Gonzales Austin (VU) vs. No. 15 Julian Cash/Florian Lakat (MSU); 6-6 (2-2)
2) Mate Cutura/Tassilo Schmid (MSU) def. No. 75 Pen Binet/Baker Newman (VU); 6-0
3) Juan Cruz Estevarena/Robin Haden (MSU) def. Daniel Valent/Jeff Offerdahl (VU); 6-4
Order of Finish; 2,3*
Singles
1) No. 9 Gonzales Austin (VU) def. No. 73 Florian Lakat (MSU); 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
2) Juan Cruz Estevarena (MSU) def. Rhys Johnson (VU); 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
3) No. 83 Daniel Valent (VU) def. No. 96 Mate Cutura (MSU); 6-3, 7-6(5)
4) Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Kris Yee (VU); 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
5) Suresh Eswaran (VU) def. Tassilo Schmid (MSU); 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
6) Baker Newman (VU) def. Julian Cash (MSU); 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4
Order of Finish; 3, 5, 2, 6, 4, 1*
