NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team opened its spring season with back-to-back shutout wins in Thursday’s home doubleheader, defeating Alabama A&M 5-0 before taking down Tennessee Tech 7-0.
“The purpose of today’s matches was to make sure we were representing the culture, staying together as a unit and sticking to what our identity is,” head coach Scott Brown said. “We have a lot of young guys and a lot of new faces, so I wanted to make sure we are working on asking, ‘What is our identity?’ ‘Who is Vanderbilt men’s tennis?’ I thought the guys did a phenomenal job of that today.”
“It wasn’t perfect but it was a really good start,” Brown continued. “What I really liked about these two matches the most is that we set the tone mentally. Across the board, top to bottom, we were all working mentally and playing together. Everyone was engaged in the match. It was complete laser focus, especially the second match against Tennessee Tech.”
The Dores move to 4-0 all-time vs. the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M, a run that started in 2022. Vanderbilt also now holds a 20-match win streak against Tennessee Tech. Fifth year Henry Ruger, junior Tighe Brunetti, and freshman signee Pablo Martinez Gomez, as well as freshmen Callum Markowitz and Dylan Charlap, all picked up their first dual match wins for the black and gold. Newly signed assistant coach Filip Kraljevic also notched a personal achievement, grabbing the first collegiate coaching victories of his career.
“We go on the road to play Michigan State this weekend,” Brown said. “It’ll be a tough battle. They’re a top-25 opponent who is very talented. But we’re going in there ready to battle, and we expect to battle hard and to win. That’s the objective.”
Vanderbilt (2-0) takes to the road this weekend for its first away match of the spring season, an 11 a.m. contest against No. 23 Michigan State on Sunday. For more information, updates, and exclusive game day content, follow the Vanderbilt men’s tennis team, @VandyMTennis, on Instagram and X.
Match One Results vs. Alabama A&M
Doubles
1. Danil Panarin/Pablo Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) def. Kai Cowcher/Yin Chih Lan (Alabama A&M), 6-2
2. Callum Markowitz/Dylan Charlap (Vanderbilt) def. Freddie Lawrence/Goran Krivokapic (Alabama A&M), 6-2
3. No player (Alabama A&M) vs. Jensen/Ingram (Vanderbilt), no result
Singles
1. Henry Ruger (Vanderbilt) def. Kai Cowcher (Alabama A&M), 6-2, 6-4
2. Tighe Brunetti (Vanderbilt) def. Yin Chih Lan (Alabama A&M), 6-0, 6-0
3. Dylan Charlap (Vanderbilt) def. Freddie Lawrence (Alabama A&M), 6-1, 6-2
4. Giuseppe Cerasuolo (Vanderbilt) def. Goran Krivokapic (Alabama A&M), 6-1, 6-2
5. No player (Alabama A&M) vs. Oscar Jensen (Vanderbilt), no result
6. No player (Alabama A&M) vs. Jack Ingram (Vanderbilt), no result
Match Two Results vs. Tennessee Tech
Doubles
1. Ross/Ruger (Vanderbilt) def. Bitzer/Spaks (Tennessee Tech) 6-0
2. Charlap/Markowitz (Vanderbilt) def. Dao/Kuczynski (Tennessee Tech) 6-2
3. Gomez Martinez/Panarin vs. Alvarez/Burckhardt 4-3, match was unfinished
Singles
1. Danil Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. Alex Alvarez (Tennessee Tech) 6-0, 6-1
2. Michael Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Murilo Burckhardt (Tennessee Tech) 6-2, 6-3
3. Pablo Martinez Gomez (Vanderbilt) def. Oliver Dao (Tennessee Tech) 6-2, 6-3
4. Henry Ruger (Vanderbilt) def. Lucas Bitzer (Tennessee Tech) 6-1, 6-0
5. Callum Markowitz (Vanderbilt) def. Davids Spaks (Tennessee Tech) 6-1, 6-2
6. Tighe Brunetti (Vanderbilt) def. Darek Kuczynski (Tennessee Tech) 6-3, 6-0