Northwestern Victorious over Vanderbilt, 4-3

1/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis

Results

Jan. 18, 2015


	#34 Northwestern 4, #19 Vanderbilt 3 Currey Tennis Center • Nashville, Tenn. Results

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In its second road test against a top-30 opponent this weekend, No. 34 Northwestern again found itself in a tightly-contested battle. The Wildcats pushed No. 19 Vanderbilt to the wire to make for a lengthy Sunday afternoon, and this time outlasted theirs hosts to take a satisfying 4-3 victory.

The match was tough from the beginning. In doubles play, Fedor Baev and Strong Kirchheimer overpowered their Vanderbilt opponents for an early 6-1 win at No. 2. However, VU was able to get the next two victories at No. 1 and No. 3 to pull ahead 1-0.

With characteristic resolve, the 'Cats quickly struck back in singles. Logan Staggs beat 77th-ranked Rhys Johnson 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2, and Baev prevailed 6-3, 6-3 over Ryan Smith at No. 5 to put NU up one.

Undaunted, the Commodores tied it up at No. 4, where Daniel Valent narrowly defeated Mihir Kumar in two close sets 7-5, 7-5. They then regained the lead as No. 10 Gonzales Austin bested Sam Shropshire 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 at the top slot.

With Vandy within one of the win, No. 108 Kirchheimer engaged in another three-set battle at No. 3. After a rough second set, the sophomore recovered in the third to deliver a clutch 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2) victory to knot the score again and force the tiebreaker.

In the deciding match of the day, Alp Horoz took on Suresh Eswaran at No. 6. Tensions ran high as the pair traded tight sets in the first two frames, but Horoz ultimately pulled through to triumph 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-3 and give Northwestern the victory.

Next weekend, the 'Cats will compete at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Norman, Okla. Their first competitor is Arkansas at 10 a.m. on Saturday, followed by a Sunday match against Oklahoma or New Mexico.

#34 Northwestern 4, #19 Vanderbilt 3
Doubles Results
1. #5 Gonzales Austin/Rhys Johnson (VU) def. Alex Pasareanu/Mihir Kumar (NU) 6-4
2. Fedor Baev/Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Ryan Smith/Pen Binet (VU) 6-1
3. Suresh Eswaran/Daniel Valent (VU) def. Sam Shropshire/Alp Horoz (NU) 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1*

Singles Results
1. #10 Gonzales Austin (VU) def. Sam Shropshire (NU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
2. Logan Staggs (NU) def. #77 Rhys Johnson (VU) 6-1, 6-2
3. #108 Strong Kirchheimer (NU) def. Kriss Yee (VU) 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (2)
4. Daniel Valent (VU) def. Mihir Kumar (NU) 7-5, 7-5
5. Fedor Baev (NU) def. Ryan Smith (NU) 6-3, 6-3
6. Alp Horoz (NU) def. Suresh Eswaran (VU) 7-6 (4), 6-7 (6), 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6*

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