The 2015 men’s tennis campaign for Georgia State commenced in inauspicious fashion as the Panthers were swept on the road by the No. 19 nationally-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, TN.
It was also the season opener for Vanderbilt, which finished 7-0 against Georgia State on Friday.
Singles
The only set victory for the Panthers came from freshman Andrei Andrukhou who was competing in his first match. After a 6-2 win for Andrukhou in his opening set against Vanderbilt’s Daniel Valent, the Commodores’ freshman claimed the following two frames, 6-2, 6-0 to pick up the victory over the freshman Panther.
Zack Kennedy, who went undefeated at the Georgia Southern invite in November, fell to Commodores junior Kris Yee, 6-1, 6-4. Sofianne Chevallier also went undefeated at the Georgia Southern invite, but lost in straight sets to Vanderbilt senior Suresh Eswaran, 6-1, 6-1.
The Panthers’ Sebastian Acuna played a hard-fought match against Commodores senior Ryan Smith, but would come up just short in a 7-5, 6-4, straight set defeat.
Georgia State’s Joseph Bishop also suffered a 6-2, 6-1 loss at the hands of junior Jeffrey Offerdahl.
Austin Gonzales of Vanderbilt also earned a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Panthers’ Jannis Koeke.
Doubles
The doubles competition was also all Vanderbilt. Valent and Gonzales defeated Kennedy and Chevallier 5-4 in the top double match of the day. Georgia State’s Bishop and Koeke also fell, 6-2 to Smith and Pen Binet of Vanderbilt. Andrukhou and Acuna would be defeated 6-4 by the Commodores’ Yee and Offerdahl.
The Panthers will attempt to earn better results on the hardcourt Jan. 24 as they face Presbyterian and Gardner-Webb the following day.
