NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis travels to Austin for its SEC opener against No. 4 Texas on Saturday.
The Dores come off two weeks of rest after notching wins in their last four matches. Vanderbilt’s lineup has generated success throughout the order. Sophomore Danil Panarin has notched three straight wins and is 4-1 at No. 2 singles in dual match play thus far. Junior Tighe Brunetti is off to a 5-1 singles start, including a match-clinching point against Middle Tennessee. Fifth year Henry Ruger is also on a three-match streak, producing a 6-2 record primarily at No. 4 and No. 5 singles.
Texas enters Saturday victors of three out of the last four matches, including wins over No. 1 TCU, No. 14 Texas A&M and No. 5 Virginia. The Longhorns fell 4-3 to No. 2 Wake Forest in the semifinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships on Monday.
Junior Nathan Cox remains the sole Commodore ranked in singles, sitting at No. 98 in the most recent ITA rankings. Cox and senior Michael Ross join the doubles rankings for the first time this season at No. 87. Vanderbilt comes in at No. 34 in the initial team rankings of the season.
The Longhorns bring a plethora of ranked players to the court; four are ranked in singles, three of which are inside the top 50. Redshirt freshman Timo Legout tops the singles list for Texas at No. 7. In doubles, Legout and sophomore Lucas Brown sit at No. 11.
Vanderbilt (7-2) seeks its fifth-straight win of the season Friday versus Texas (9-2), with play slated for a 1 p.m. start. Live streaming will be available online, with live stats accessible here at the start of the match. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
