Texas A&M men’s tennis season came to a close as No. 5 senior Valentin Vacherot fell short in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship.
The Aggies had three competitors in the NCAA Singles Championship and one duo in the Doubles Championship. After losing to the eventual champions, the University of Florida, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, the four Aggies participating in the remaining events turned their sights toward their next matchups.
May 23 was the first day of singles competition. Senior Carlos Aguilar, ranked 30th in the nation, kicked things off for the team. However, he lost 6-3, 6-1 to Oklahoma State’s No. 37 Matej Vocel.
Senior No. 3 Hady Habib won his round-one matchup against No. 50 Kody Pearson from Tulsa. On day two, he faced off with No. 35 William Blumberg of North Carolina. After a close first set, Habib fell 7-5, 6-2 to Blumberg in the Round of 32.
Vacherot won his first-round matchup, taking down Arizona’s No. 45 Gustaf Strom in a comeback 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory. Vacherot once again found himself in the win column in round two after defeating USC’s No. 52 Riley Smith 6-1, 6-2.
In the Sweet 16, Vacherot faced off with No. 24 Rinky Hijikata, beating the North Carolina product in three sets by a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. His run came to a close on May 26 in the round of 8 when Florida’s No. 6 Sam Riffice beat Vacherot 6-3, 6-0.
The doubles tournament began on May 24, where the No. 8 duo of Aguilar and graduate Bjorn Thomson competed. The tandem took on USC’s No. 10 duo of Smith and Daniel Cukierman. The A&M duo lost by a mark of 6-3, 6-0.
As the year closes, the team still celebrates its accomplishments. The Aggies finished ranked eighth in the nation and fourth in the SEC with a record of 19-9 (7-5). One duo finished in the top-10 and reached the NCAA Doubles Tournament. Six players finished ranked in singles, with five in the top-100, and two in the top-5. Three members competed in the NCAA Singles Tournament, with Vacherot reaching the elite eight, only the fourth Aggie to do so. Lastly, the team reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in six seasons.