Tennis

Vanderbilt University fell to the Florida Gators in the SEC first round

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Vanderbilt men’s tennis team was defeated by Florida Gators with the final score of 4-2, in the first round of the SEC Men’s Tennis Tournament.

The Commodores now wait to find out on April 29 when the NCAA will announce its qualifiers for the team championship.

In doubles, Jeremie Casabon and Nathan Cox defeated Nate Bonetto and Aidan Kim. Joubert Klopper and Michael Ross won on court 2, defeating Tanapatt Nirundorn and Adhithya Ganesan.

Danil Panarin kept the Dores’ momentum going in singles as well and defeated Jeremy Jin on Court 1 in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, to give Vandy the lead, 2-0. The Gators responded with three straight wins on 3-5 courts and took the lead, 3-2.

The Freshman Hugo Coquelin earned a 7-5 victory over Kevin Edengren in set 2 to force a third. Cox and Kim split the first two sets. In set 3, Cox rallied from a 5-2 deficit to win two games in a row, but Kim ultimately got the win for the Gators, 5-4.

Vanderbilt head coach Scott Brown explained after the match: “First of all, credit to Florida, coach Adam Steinberg runs a quality program and I was very impressed with how composed his players were out there in the big moments. They compete hard. but with character and class, so I have a lot of respect for his program. And for our guys, I can’t say enough.

These guys left their heart and soul out there and that’s what I love so much about this group: not just the guys playing but also the guys on the sidelines. I know what I’ll get from this group every day that they step foot on the battlefield. It’s a truly special group and, for that reason, this has been one of the most fun years of my 12 years seasons as a college coach. All good things to say about this group.

We are knocking on the door of becoming a consistent top 25 team. This past month, this team has shown that it is getting closer and closer to becoming a consistently top 25 team. in the top 25. The 1 or 2% to get us over the hump is simply getting better at being a little more composed in those decisive moments of a game where momentum can change and understanding the way the game and the momentum flows.

At the end of the day, we’re in this position because these guys leave their heart and soul out there, so I’m just super proud of this group. They’ve come a long way since August and even January and February. So, knock on wood to be able to get into the NCAA tournament. We’re going to go out there on Monday and start practicing like we’re playing again and work on those things to get that 1 or 2% better before the NCAAs. Fight Dores!”

Men’s singles:

1. No. 61 Panarin (Vanderbilt) def. No. 52 Jin 6-3, 6-1
2. Kim (Florida) def. Cox 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Bonetto (Florida) def. Casabon 6-4, 6-3
4. Ganesan (Florida) def. Klopper 7-5, 6-1
5. Nirundorn (Florida) def. Ross 6-4, 6-3
6. Coquelin vs Edengren 1-6, 7-5, 1-5, unfinished

Men’s doubles:

1. Casabon/Cox (Vanderbilt) def. No.23 Bonetto/Kim 6-2
2. Klopper/Ross (Vanderbilt) def. No. 69 Nirundorn/Ganesan 6-4
3. Panarin/Coquelin(Vanderbilt) vs. Edengren/Jin 4-4, unfinished

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