WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — After facing its first deficit of the season, Vanderbilt men’s tennis battled back for a 4-3 comeback win over North Carolina on Friday at the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center.
“This was a really good college tennis match today,” head coach Scott Brown said. “It had everything that’s great about college tennis. The two teams got loud for their players, especially at the end when it came down to No. 2 singles. The players left everything on the court. Both teams were supporting their teammates, and it was just a really good atmosphere to be a part of. This was what we love the most about college tennis.”
The Commodores fell behind early in doubles as the Tar Heels collected wins at the No. 2 and No. 1 positions. Senior Nathan Cox and junior Hugo Coquelin produced the only doubles win for Vanderbilt (3-0), taking down No. 83 Ian Mayew and Kase Schinnerer 6-3. The victory gave the Dore duo its first ranked win together and moves them to a team-best 4-0 record.
North Carolina (2-1) looked to be in control to start singles play, taking first sets at three different courts. The Tar Heels proceeded to move up 2-0 after a win at No. 4 singles. But for the second straight match, Cox provided Vanderbilt a spark, getting the Commodores on the board at No. 5 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Logan Zapp. Cox now holds a four-match win streak. Junior Danil Panarin evened the match 2-2 shortly after, moving past No. 84 Mayew 6-2, 6-2. It was the first ranked win of the year for Panarin.
No. 62 ranked Pablo Martinez Gomez gave Vanderbilt its first advantage of the match after sinking Chris Xu 6-2, 6-3 at the top spot. The Tar Heels responded at No. 6 singles behind a 6-3, 6-2 win from Constantinos Djakouris over No. 94 Coquelin. At 3-3, the match would be decided at No. 2 singles between freshman Hoyoung Roh and No. 56 ranked Roan Jones. With Jones snatching the first set 6-3, Hoyoung showed why he was the Commodores’ top recruit in the 2025 class. The freshman anchored down the second set 6-3 before controlling the third, securing multiple deciding points en route to a 6-4 set victory to clinch the match. It was Hoyoung’s first career ranked win.
“As far as our end of the court, I was really pleased with how our guys responded after losing the doubles point. This match could’ve gone either way, it came down to the last court. This is the adversity we needed; we wanted to see what we were made of today. It was a test of our true character, how we respond in moments of adversity, and the character of our team came through. Both teams left it all out on the court.”
In a day full of firsts, the victory ends a winless streak for Vanderbilt in the all-time series against North Carolina: the Dores were 0-5 previously. It marks back-to-back victories for Vandy when losing the doubles point; the black and gold overcame the early deficit versus No. 22 Oklahoma for a 4-3 win in the final regular season match of 2025. The Commodores await the winner of No. 1 Wake Forest (4-0) and Virginia Tech for Saturday’s match with a chance to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on the line.
“We still have a long way to go and a lot of things to improve on before tomorrow,” Brown said. “Whether that’s Wake Forest or Virginia Tech tomorrow, we’re going to do things a bit better than we did today. We’re going to keep pushing and show up and fight every day, that’s the Vanderbilt way. That’s what we do.”
The final ITA Kickoff Weekend match is set to take place at 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) from the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center. Streaming will be available online with live stats accessible here. For more information, updates and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
Vanderbilt 4, North Carolina 3
Doubles
1. No. 44 Xu/Niels Ratiu (North Carolina) def. Martinez Gomez/Hoyoung (Vanderbilt) 6-4
2. Zapp/Jones (North Carolina) def. No. 42 Jack Satterfield/Panarin (Vanderbilt) 6-2
3. Cox/Coquelin (Vanderbilt) def. No. 83 Mayew/Schinnerer (North Carolina) 6-3
Singles
1. No. 62 Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) def. Xu (North Carolina) 6-2, 6-3
2. Hoyoung (Vanderbilt) def. No. 56 Jones (North Carolina) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. No. 84 Mayew (North Carolina) 6-2, 6-2
4. No. 83 Ratiu (North Carolina) def. Satterfield (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-1
5. Cox (Vanderbilt) def. Zapp (North Carolina) 6-3, 6-2
6. Djakouris (North Carolina) def. No. 94 Coquelin (Vanderbilt) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,5,3,1,6,2)
