NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 44 Vanderbilt men’s tennis team claimed a 4-0 win over No. 39 LSU on Friday at the Ensworth Tennis Facility.
The Commodores (13-10, 4-7 SEC) claimed the early lead in doubles, initially falling on Court 1 but finishing the job on Courts 2 and 3. The Tigers’ Stefan Latinovic and George Stoupe defeated Joubert Klopper and Michael Ross, taking the match 6-3. But the Dores rebounded when Danil Panarin and Hugo Coquelin overcame their LSU opponents on Court 3, and Nathan Cox and Jeremie Casabon clinched doubles on Court 2, defeating Chen Dong and Julien Penzlin 7-5.
Vanderbilt didn’t stop there and took back-to-back wins in singles. Cox added a point for Vanderbilt when Stoupe retired due to a dislocated shoulder. Panarin, ranked 60th, defeated Latinovic on Court 1 6-2, 6-3, making the score 3-0 in favor of Vanderbilt. Ross clinched the match for the Dores when he overcame Rudy Ceccon in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2 on Court 5, securing the victory for Vandy.
“First off, I hope George Stoupe from LSU has a full recovery and is able to compete in the postseason. It’s really unfortunate what happened to him and we never like to win a match that way,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Brown. “As for our guys, I’m very happy with how they competed today and went about their business.
“This was a complete team win from top to bottom and I’d like to recognize Michael Ross with how he competed and carried himself out there today in clinching the match. Thank you to all our fans that came out and supported us. Now it’s full focus on Georgia as we close out our regular season on Sunday. Fight Dores!”
Singles
1. #60 Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. Latinovic 6-2, 6-3
2. Cox (Vanderbilt) def. Stoupe by retirement 5-5
3. Klopper (Vanderbilt) vs. Aleksi Lofman 5-7, 3-4 unfinished
4. Casabon (Vanderbilt) vs. Alessio Vasquez 6-3, 2-2 unfinished
5. Ross (Vanderbilt) def. Ceccon 6-3, 6-2
6. Coquelin (Vanderbilt) vs. Dong 6-7 (4), 1-1 unfinished
Doubles
1. Latinovic/Stoupe (LSU) def. #85 Klopper/Ross 6-3
2. Casabon/Cox (Vanderbilt) def. Dong/Penzlin 7-5
3. Panarin/Coquelin (Vanderbilt) def. Welsh Hotard/Lofman 6-3
Up Next: Vanderbilt takes on No. 38 Georgia on Sunday at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.