TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Vanderbilt men’s tennis wrapped up the fall opener in Alabama with senior pair Nathan Cox and Michael Ross taking a competitive match win in the final round of the SEC Challenge. The duo overcame Oklahoma’s Oscar Lacides and Bruno Nhavene to win the White draw on Sunday.
The Sooners grabbed the doubles point to start the match, winning in a contested tiebreaker 8-7 (5). Facing a 1-0 deficit, Cox fueled the Dores, topping Lacides in a 3-6, 6-4, 10-8 singles win. Ross then took the court in a matchup against Nhavene for the final game of the draw. Like the previous two games, this also went to a tiebreaker. Ross came out on top to seal Vanderbilt’s victory with an exhilarating 6-2, 5-7, 11-9 decision, capturing the White draw title at the SEC Challenge.
In the Houndstooth draw, Tighe Brunetti and Giuseppe Cerasuolo battled in the final round against Auburn’s Thomas Kennedy and Joey Phillips. The Tigers struck first, taking the doubles game 8-6 and going up 1-0 in the match. Cerasuolo soon answered with his second-straight singles win, conquering Kennedy 7-6 (3), 2-6, 10-5. With the score 1-1, Phillips outlasted Brunetti 7-6 (0), 6-0 to capture the Tigers’ victory.
Hugo Coquelin and Henry Ruger also faced Auburn opponents, matching up for third place in the Crimson draw. The Tigers opened with an 8-6 win to steal the doubles point. In singles, Ruger nabbed his first solo victory of the tournament over Auburn’s Billy Blaydes 7-6 (6), 6-1. Coquelin was unable to replicate against Nick Heng of the Tigers, falling 6-4, 6-1 as the Dores settled for fourth place.
Rounding out the tournament for the Commodores was Dylan Charlap and Callum Markowitz in the fifth-place match of the White draw. Vanderbilt matched up against Alabama, faltering early to the Crimson Tide in the doubles game 8-4. Charlap notched his first collegiate victory in the singles split, defeating Alabama’s Carlos Gimenez Perez after he retired in the first set to even the score 1-1. The Crimson Tide ultimately pulled away en route to fifth place as Damien Nezar handled Markowitz in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
The final tournament bracket is available online.
Vanderbilt’s Danil Panarin will compete in the ITF M15 Futures tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas, beginning tomorrow.