Dominant when it mattered, composed when it counted.
It was a warm welcome to the Southeastern Conference for the Texas men’s tennis team that saw No. 4 Texas return to form with a 7–0 win against No. 34 Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday at the Weller Tennis Center.
Texas got off to a hot start with a 2–0 victory in doubles match play. Freshman Oliver Ojakaar and senior Pierre-Yves Bailley set the tone early, dominating their set 6–1 against sophomore Danil Panarin and freshman Pablo Martinez Gomez.
Standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Ojakaar’s physicality would be a defining factor in their win, helping control the pace of play and giving Texas an edge in extended rallies. Freshman Sebastian Eriksson and sophomore Lucas Brown then secured the doubles point with a 6–4 win against fifth-year Henry Ruger and freshman Giuseppe Cerasuolo, giving Texas a 1–0 lead against the Dores.
In singles play, Texas would continue putting the pedal to the metal, winning their first set in all but one match. The Horn’s endurance became their advantage, with junior No. 15 Sebastian Gorzny and junior No. 33 Jonah Braswell applying constant pressure, fighting through long points, breaking down their opponents and taking their first sets 6–4.
Ojakaar continued this theme of endurance, winning three games in a row after falling 5–3 to Michael Ross. Needing one more game for the set, he’d open with a powerful ace, and sweep Ross 40–0 for the set.
Texas’ first singles point came from Eriksson who built on his 6–4 first-set win by making quick work of Ruger 6–2, having an answer for almost every serve and breaking him twice to claim victory.
Gorzny would then follow suit. Despite going to a tie-breaker in doubles play and getting a hard-fought 6–4 win in his first set, he showed no signs of fatigue. Hitting sliding forehands back and forth across the court, Gorzny almost appeared robotic with his returns, and it proved to be too much for Panarin as Gorzny would go on to win the second set 6–3.
With one more point needed to clinch the win, the Estonian giant Ojakaar would yet again prove to be the man. Seemingly driving his entire body into every hit, Ojakaar’s power shots overwhelmed a deflated Ross, who struggled to keep up as Ojakaar closed out the set 6–3, sealing Texas’ first SEC win.
The Horns would go on to sweep singles play, bringing the final score to 7–0.
Texas will now go on to prepare for No. 72 Ole Miss Rebels, who are coming off a 4–3 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Horns will host the Rebels on Monday at 1 p.m. at the Texas Tennis Center as they look to continue their momentum and win SEC gold in their first year in the conference.
