WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis had its first NCAA qualifier of the fall season after sophomore Pablo Martinez Gomez earned a singles co-champion finish on Monday at the ITA Ohio Valley Regional Championships hosted by Purdue.
“I’m super proud of Pablo,” head coach Scott Brown said. “It’s a testament to all the work he’s put in the past 12 months and all the boxes he’s been checking off over that time. Pablo is ‘Mr. Positive’ on the team and he’s a great example for our guys. This result is just a credit to all his hard work cause he didn’t even play his best tennis today.”
After winning in straight sets across every singles match, the No. 84 ranked Commodore and No. 4 seed went the distance against Purdue’s Nour Fathalla. Martinez Gomez pulled out a 6-4 first set victory before Fathalla returned the favor in the second 6-3. Throughout the second set and beginning of the third, Fathalla held a 10-5 game advantage over Martinez Gomez; the Boilermaker opened the final frame up 4-2. With Purdue in full control of the momentum, Martinez Gomez answered with his back against the wall. He held Fathalla scoreless throughout the remainder of the set, rattling off four straight games to win the final set 6-4 and claim the match.
“With Pablo not at his best, this was due to all the work he’s put in,” Brown said. “And when you consistently put in the work like that, it pulls you through moments like today: the days when you don’t have your best.”
With a championship matchup versus Indiana’s No. 71 ranked Sam Landau set for Tuesday morning, both players agreed to abandon the match and be named singles co-champions having already secured NCAA qualification. They both earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Singles Championship Nov. 18-23 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida. Martinez Gomez concludes his tournament run on a six-match win streak dating back to last season and becomes the first Dore to bring home the Regionals singles title since Daniel Valent in 2017.
“I was really pleased with the progress a lot of our guys have made,” Brown said. “That’s a great thing about these fall competitions, is that they give us a checkpoint with where our guys are at and how they’re developing. […] Overall we had a very solid showing; the program as a whole is making progress. And we’re going to keep working and keep making progress.
The Dores return to play in the SEC-ACC Fall Challenge from Tuscaloosa, Alabama Oct. 24-26. For more information, updates and exclusive content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
Day 5 Results:
SINGLES
No. 84 Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) def. Fathalla (Purdue) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
