Men’s tennis: No. 1 UVA opens season with 4-3 win at Vanderbilt

The No. 1 UVA men’s tennis team (1-0, 0-0 ACC) opened the 2017 season with a 4-3 road victory over Vanderbilt (6-3, 0-0 SEC) on Friday (Feb. 3) at the Currey Tennis Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The Cavaliers dropped the doubles point but picked up straight-set victories at one, four, five and six doubles to take the match.

“It is great to be back in the dual match season,” said Virginia head coach Brian Boland. “Vanderbilt has a great team and the environment was awesome. This was an ideal way to get our spring season started. I am proud of the guys for getting rid of the first match nerves and stepping up after losing the doubles point.”

The Commodores’ Pen Binet and Cameron Klinger picked up a 6-2 victory over senior Luca Corinteli (Alexandria, Va.) and freshman Carl Soderlund (Stockholm, Sweden) on court one to open doubles. Senior Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior Collin Altamirano (Sacramento, Calif.) evened things up with a 6-3 victory over Panu Virtanen and Baker Newman at No. 2. The Commodores’ Billy Rowe and Lachlan McPhee secured the doubles point with a 6-4 win over senior J.C. Aragone (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and junior Henrik Wiersholm (Kirkland, Wash.).

Junior Alexander Ritschard (Zurich, Switzerland) tied the match 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles. After Vanderbilt went up 2-1 with a victory on court three, Söderlund knotted the match at two with a 6-1, 6-4 win over McPhee on four. Kwiatkowski rebounded from falling 6-0 in the first set against Cameron Klinger by winning his second set 7-5, but was edged 6-4 in the third as Vanderbilt took a 3-2 lead in the match. Altamirano battled to a 7-5, 7-6 (2) victory at No. 1. Wiersholm, playing a delayed match at No. 6, clinched the victory with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Virtanen.

The Cavaliers continue their season-opening road trip by playing at No. 15 Kentucky (5-1, 0-0 SEC) on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 5 p.m.

#1 UVA 4, Vanderbilt 3

Singles competition

1. Collin Altamirano (VA) def. #97 Daniel Valent (VANDY) 7-5, 7-6 (7-2)
2. Cameron Klinger (VANDY) def. #39 Thai-Son Kwiatkowski (VA) 6-0, 5-7, 6-4
3. Baker Newman (VANDY) def. #58 J.C. Aragone (VA) 6-4, 6-0
4. Carl Soderlund (VA) def. Lachlan McPhee (VANDY) 6-1, 6-4
5. Alexander Ritschard (VA) def. Billy Rowe (VANDY) 6-2, 6-1
6. Henrik Wiersholm (VA) def. Panu Virtanen (VANDY) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles competition

1. Pen Binet/Cameron Klinger (VANDY) def. Carl Soderlund/Luca Corinteli (VA) 6-2
2. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski/Collin Altamirano (VA) def. Panu Virtanen/Baker Newman (VANDY) 6-3
3. Billy Rowe/Lachlan McPhee (VANDY) def. J.C. Aragone/Henrik Wiersholm (VA) 6-4

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,4,2,1,6)