URBANA, Ill. – Vanderbilt’s run in the 2013 Men’s Tennis NCAA Tournament came to an end Thursday night with a 4-0 loss in the Sweet 16 to the No. 1-ranked UCLA Bruins at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.
The Commodores finished the season with an overall record of 18-11, the most wins under current head coach Ian Duvenhage. UCLA (27-1) advances to the quarterfinals where they will face the winner of Duke and Kentucky on Saturday.
Vanderbilt advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004 and only the third time in the program’s history.
The Bruins wasted little time in getting out to an early lead by winning the doubles point. Marcos Giron and Dennis Novikov defeated Gonzales Austin and Ryan Lipman at the No. 1 doubles spot, 8-4. At No. 3 doubles Dennis Mkrtchian and Clay Thompson breezed by Suresh Eswaran and Jeff Offerdahl, 8-0.
In singles, Thompson delivered a win at No. 5 over Marc van der Merwe in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Just minutes later, UCLA’s Adrien Puget defeated Offerdahl, 6-2, 6-1.
UCLA received the match-clinching point from Karue Sell at the No. 6 singles position, where Sell defeated Rhys Johnson, 6-4, 6-3.
Vanderbilt will be represented in the NCAA Individual Championships, May 22-27, following the team championships in Urbana, Ill. Austin and Lipman each earned at-large bids for the NCAA Singles Championship. Lipman is one of 16 nationally-seeded players in the 64-person field.
Singles Results
1. No. 27 Dennis Novikov (UCLA) vs. No. 10 Ryan Lipman (VU) 6-3, 3-6, unfinished
2. No. 25 Marcos Giron (UCLA) vs. No. 48 Gonzales Austin (VU) 6-1, 6-5, unfinished
3. No. 22 Adrien Puget (UCLA) def. Jeff Offerdahl (VU) 6-2, 6-1
4. No. 75 Dennis Mkrtchian (UCLA) vs. Kris Yee (VU) 6-4, 3-3, unfinished
5. No. 119 Clay Thompson (UCLA) def. Marc van der Merwe (VU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Karue Sell (UCLA) def. Rhys Johnson (VU) 6-4, 6-3
Doubles Results
1. No. 42 Giron/Novikov (UCLA) def. No. 38 Austin/Lipman (VU) 8-4
2. No. 77 Puget/Sell (UCLA) vs. Johnson/van der Merwe (VU) 5-5, unfinished
3. Mkrtchian/Thompson (UCLA) def. Eswaran/Offerdahl (VU) 8-0
Order of Finish
Singles: 5,3,6
Doubles: 3,1
