NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team fought for every point against Michigan State on Saturday, but they came up just short.
Vanderbilt had a strong start, with Joubert Klopper and Michael Ross defeating Ozan Baris and Ronnie Hohmann, two of the top players in the country, with Baris currently ranked No. 1 in doubles and No. 6 in singles and Hohmann sitting at No. 57 in doubles and No. 11 in singles. Michigan State fought back and was victorious on Courts 1 and 3, taking the early advantage and earning the doubles point.
Coach Scott Brown said, “Michigan State has a good team this year; they’re top 20. We knew coming in this was going to be a good test for us, and—credit to them—they played a highly competitive match.”
In singles, the Spartans didn’t let up, taking back-to-back wins on Courts 2 and 3 and putting the score at 3-0. Jeremie Casabon grabbed the lone point for the Dores, coming over the Spartans’ Taym Alazmeh with a 7-6, 6-2 victory. Michael Ross and Danil Panarin forced third sets, where Ross fell to Sebastien Collard and Panarin’s match went unfinished as Michigan State overcame the Dores, posting a 4-1 overall score.
“Very positive reflection, as far as our guys go … we were right there. These matches come down to a point here or there. Our guys went out there and competed. We lost a very tight doubles point, but they responded and we won three out of the five first sets in singles,” Brown said.
“Super proud of them. We have some things we need to work on, and we’re gearing up for another battle tomorrow against Northwestern. We had a great crowd turnout today, and I want to thank all the fans for coming out and supporting us as well. It means so much.”
Singles
1. Panarin (Vanderbilt) vs. No. 11 Hohmann 6-3, 4-6, 3-3 unfinished
2. Baris (Michigan State) def. Klopper 6-1, 6-4
3. Aristotelis Thanos (Michigan State) def. Cox 6-2, 6-2
4. Collard (Michigan State) def. Ross 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
5. Casabon (Vanderbilt) def. Alazmeh 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
6. Hugo Coquelin (Vanderbilt) vs. No. 97 Max Sheldon 4-6 unfinished
Doubles
1. Thanos/Alazmeh (Michigan State) def. Casabon/Cox 7-6 (7-1)
2. Klopper/Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Baris/Hohmann 6-4
3. Graydon Lair/Collard (Michigan State) def. Coquelin/Panarin 7-6 (7-3)
Up Next: Vanderbilt plays tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. against Northwestern.
