NORMAN, Okla. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis notched its second straight SEC win in comeback fashion, reverse sweeping Oklahoma 4-3 at the Headington Family Tennis Center on Friday.
“First off, what a great battle against Oklahoma,” head coach Scott Brown said. “I have so much respect for their program. It was another 4-3 battle with them, last year and now this year. We didn’t play great in doubles, but what makes these guys and this program so special is they showed their grit, determination and fight to come back.”
After the Dores dropped the doubles point with losses at the top two positions, Oklahoma (9-3, 1-2 SEC) tightened its grip on the match. The Sooners pieced together wins at Courts 1 and 3 to take a 3-0 lead. Despite facing a big deficit on the road, Vanderbilt (10-2, 2-1 SEC) did not back down, flipping the momentum starting with junior Hugo Coquelin at the No. 6 position. Coquelin sank Luka Talan Lopatic 6-4, 6-2 to get the Dores on the board. Moments after, freshman Jack Satterfield provided a second point for the black and gold with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over No. 89 Asahi Harazaki. It is the first career ranked singles win for Satterfield.
“Oklahoma got us early in doubles and in those first singles matches,” Brown said. “But our guys bit back. Especially on the lower courts, four through six. I’m really proud of those guys at the bottom of the lineup. They had so much team effort, rooting each other on and talking to each other in between points; that’s what got us back into the match.”
Senior Nathan Cox and sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez were the final two Commodores left standing with Vanderbilt’s comeback hopes on the line. Each of their matches went to three sets and sat tied at 5-5 in the final frame. Needing both to secure a victory, Cox and Martinez Gomez delivered in the clutch. It was Cox to bring Vandy its third point, pulling out a 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 win over Johan Rodriguez. Cox moves to 12-0 in dual match singles play this season to continue his career run.
Martinez Gomez looked to be in control at Court 2, moving ahead 5-2 in the final set against No. 79 Oscar Lacides to decide the match. Lacides began to chip away with his back against the wall, and ultimately evened it up at 5-5 soon after. The final two games were decided on 40-40 deuce points, with Martinez Gomez clinching both to seal the comeback win for the Commodores.
“It just shows the character and culture of this team,” Brown said. “We were down 3-0, but we never gave up. We kept fighting, running balls down, trusting our shots. And with Pablo closing it out at the end – we all love Pablo. He’s put in all the work, super professional. And these types of moments are where all that work shows up. He just kept going, kept working, kept staying positive, and that’s what carried him in those moments.”
Vanderbilt moves to 2-0 in the all-time series with Oklahoma. It is the first road SEC win for the Dores since Feb. 24, 2025, and ends a three-match skid in away contests. The black and gold are off to their best start since 2019.
“We’ve got work to do in doubles, we need to respond better with that and come out better,” Brown said. “But, again, these guys are fighters and they’re willing to go the distance. They’ll go tooth and nail with anybody. We don’t like to win pretty – we win ugly, and we’re happy doing that. I’m super proud of these guys, and we go again Sunday.”
The Commodores continue their road trip with a matchup against No. 14 Texas A&M (9-4, 2-1 SEC) at 1 p.m. on Sunday in College Station. For more information, updates and exclusive match day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
No. 37 Vanderbilt 4, No. 33 Oklahoma 3
Doubles
1. Luis Alvarez/Bruno Nhavene [Oklahoma] def. Cox/Hoyoung Roh [Vanderbilt] 6-2
2. Hank Trondson/Alejandro Melero [Oklahoma] def. Martinez Gomez/Danil Panarin [Vanderbilt] 6-1
3. Harazaki/Lacides [Oklahoma] vs. Coquelin/Satterfield [Vanderbilt] 5-3, unfinished
Singles
1. No. 49 Alvarez [Oklahoma] def. Hoyoung [Vanderbilt] 6-3, 6-3
2. Martinez Gomez [Vanderbilt] def. No. 79 Lacides [Oklahoma] 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
3. Orel Kimhi [Oklahoma] def. Panarin [Vanderbilt] 6-1, 6-2
4. Cox [Vanderbilt] def. Rodriguez [Oklahoma] 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
5. Satterfield [Vanderbilt] def. No. 89 Harazaki [Oklahoma] 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
6. Coquelin [Vanderbilt] def. Talan Lopatic [Oklahoma] 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,3,6,5,4,2)
