COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Vanderbilt men’s tennis team came up just short, falling to the nationally-ranked Ohio State in the opening round of ITA Kickoff weekend on Saturday morning.
Ohio State came firing out of the gates, with Justin Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig defeating No. 59 Jeremie Casabon and Nathan Cox on Court 1, securing the first doubles victory for Ohio State. Shortly after, on Court 3 the No. 27 duo Robert Cash and Bryce Nakashima clinched the doubles point for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State added to its lead in singles action with Boulais claiming a victory over Joubert Klopper on Court 2. JJ Tracy secured a win on Court 3 and Cannon Kingsley clinched the match for Ohio State, sealing the 4-0 victory after defeating Danil Panarin on Court 1.
“Congrats to Ohio State on playing a great match. The atmosphere was amazing and was exactly the environment we wanted to compete in. We chose to come to Ohio State for a reason, we wanted to go up against one of the best teams in the country and see how we match up, and to show these guys they can go up against anybody,” said coach Scott Brown. “I’m super proud of this team with how they fought out there on the courts and on the sidelines and how we went about our business. We didn’t back down and were a point here or there from making it a very interesting match on several of the courts. This team is tough, and if we continue to bring this fight, day in and day out, I like our chances against anybody. Now, we move on and full focus on checking off the boxes and preparing for either Oregon or Boise State tomorrow. Fight Dores!”
Singles
1. Kingsley (OSU) def. Danil Panarin 6-3, 6-2
2. Boulais (OSU) def. Klopper 6-2, 6-3
3. No. 4 Tracy (OSU) def. Juan Lopez 6-0, 6-1
4. No. 11 Jack Anthrop (OSU) vs. Cox 7-5, 4-2, unfinished
5. No. 103 Alexander Bernard (OSU) vs. Casabon 6-2, 3-2, unfinished
6. Cash (OSU) vs. Hugo Coquelin 6-4, 3-4, unfinished
Doubles
1. Boulais/Lutschaunig (OSU) def. No. 59 Cox/Casabon 6-0
2. Tracy/Kingsley (OSU) vs. Klopper/Danil Panarin 5-2, unfinished
3. No. 27 Cash/Nakashima (OSU) def. Juan Lopez/Hugo Coquelin 6-2
On Deck: Vanderbilt continues the competition in Columbus on Sunday at 9 a.m., facing either Oregon or Boise State.