TCU Men’s Tennis: No. 1 Frogs Keep on Winning
Another week, another couple of wins by the No. 1 ranked TCU Horned Frogs men’s tennis team. The team hosted USF on Saturday afternoon, winning 6-1. Then on Monday, the team traveled across the Metroplex to take on SMU. The Frogs won that match 4-1. TCU is now 16-2 on the year.
The Frogs open Big 12 Conference play this weekend with a match against No. 9 Baylor on Friday.
Here is a recap of the dual matches with USF and SMU
TCU 6 – USF 1 – March 19 – Fort Worth, Texas
The No. 65 USF Bulls came to Fort Worth last weekend and went back to Florida with a defeat after facing the top program in the nation. TCU won hard-fought doubles point before winning four straight set matches and one of two 10-point super sets for the first outdoor win of the season on the purple courts.
Service breaks were hard to come by in the doubles matches, thus pushing the Frogs hard to get the point. Juan Carlos Aguilar and Pedro Vives, playing at No. 2, were the first to win their match, 6-4. They are now 3-1 as a duo.
When the first set was one, the other two matches were tied 5-5. Luc Fomba and Jake Fearnley got a late service break to go up 6-5 before Fearnley held serve to win the set 7-5 and clinch the doubles point.
Then, TCU quickly won four singles matches in succession to clinch the win for the Frogs. They held USF to three or fewer total games won at No. 1, No. 4, and No. 6. Vives was the first to win his match at No. 4, 6-2, 6-0. This was the most dominating win in his young career as a Horned Frog. Aguilar followed him at No. 1, 6-2, 6-1. Tomas Jirousek, playing at No. 6 and in his outdoor debut, won 6-2, 6-1, giving the Frogs a 4-0 score for the win. All other matches continued to be played.
Sander Jong then won his match at No. 3, 6-4, 6-3. The final two matches were determined with a 10-point super-set tiebreaker. Lui Maxted suffered the only loss of the day for the Frogs at No. 5, losing 6-4, 4-6, 0-1 (3-10). Fomba won his match at No. 2 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5).
TCU 4 – SMU 1 – March 21 – Dallas, Texas
The Frogs turned right around after that home victory on Saturday and traveled across the Metroplex for a dual match with the SMU Mustangs on Monday night. Once again, TCU won the doubles point, their 16th win in 18 attempts this season. TCU then won three singles matches in straight sets to clinch the win.
Due to the weather, this match was moved indoors. This season, TCU is now 14-1 indoors and has won 12 straight indoors, the longest streak in program history.
In the doubles matches, Fomba and Fearnley, playing at No. 1, won five straight games to take a 5-1 lead and hold serve to win 6-2. This duo is ranked No. 2 in the nation, and this was their 12th win together of the season. Tim Ruehl and Vives, playing in their first match paired together and at No. 3, won 6-4 to give the Frogs the doubles point. Ruehl played in his first match since the ITA Indoor National Championship last month.
In the singles matches, TCU won four first sets. Fearnley, at No. 3, won in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. This was his 10th win of the season and his first in the top half of the singles lineup. SMU would get on the board next, with Vives losing his match at No. 4. TCU would then win two more matches in straight sets to clinch the victory. Jirousek, at No. 6, won 6-2, 6-3, followed by Jong at No. 2, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).
With the win, TCU improved to 16-2 this season and is 8-2 vs. Top 25 teams. They are 28-6 in doubles matches and 58-25 in singles matches.
Next up: TCU hosts #9 Baylor on the purple courts in Fort Worth on Friday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. Baylor is 17-2 on the season and is coming off a loss to Michigan over the weekend, 4-0. The Bears have not lost two consecutive dual matches since 2018.
The Frogs will then hit the road for a match with No. 64 Tulane on Sunday, March 27, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2022 Men’s Tennis Schedule/Results
January 12 vs. UTRGV – Won 6-1
January 14 vs. Florida – Won 4-3
January 16 vs. Tennessee – Lost 3-4
January 27 vs. Abilene Christian – Won 4-1
January 29 vs. Portland – Won 4-0
January 30 vs. Tulsa – Won 4-0
February 6 vs. Ole Miss – Won 4-3
February 11 at Mississippi State – Won 6-1
February 13 vs. Virginia – Won 4-1
February 18-21 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Indoor Nationals Championship
February 18 vs. Virginia – Won 4-2
February 19 vs. Texas – Won 4-0
February 20 vs. Ohio State – Won 4-3
February 21 vs. Tennessee – Won 4-1
March 2 vs. Michigan – Lost 4-1
March 5 at Illinois – Won 4-2*
March 10 at UCLA – Won 4-2
March 19 vs. USF – Won 6-1
March 21 at SMU – Won 4-1*
March 25 vs. Baylor
March 27 at Tulane
April 1 vs. Texas Tech
April 3 at Baylor
April 9 vs. Texas
April 14 at Oklahoma State
April 16 at Oklahoma
April 22 vs. Big 12 Championship
May 19 NCAA Championship
*Match played indoors due to weather
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