TCU
BYU
BYU Squeaks Past Frogs, 4-3
4/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 10, 2010
Results | Photo Gallery 
FORT WORTH—TCU came out on the wrong end of a tightly contested battle with No. 34 BYU Saturday, as the Cougars completed a 4-3 comeback victory against the 56th-ranked Frogs at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
The loss, TCU's first ever in 10 meetings with BYU, dropped the Frogs' season record to 8-9 overall and 2-2 in Mountain West Conference play. Both of TCU's conference losses have come by 4-3 scores following last weekend's close setback at San Diego State. BYU improved to 18-5 overall and 3-0 in the MWC.
After claiming the doubles point in thrilling fashion, TCU jumped out to a 3-1 lead on the strength of singles victories by junior Emanuel Brighiu and freshman Sören Goritzka. BYU responded by claiming wins in each of the final three matches in three-set affairs.
Brighiu highlighted the Frogs' efforts in singles with an easy 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 1 position over Thomas Shubert. The TCU junior's effort ended a personal three-match losing streak. Goritzka also turned around a bad stretch of his own with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Daniel Hwang in the No. 6 slot. Goritzka missed TCU's previous match with a foot injury and had won just one of his previous seven outings entering Saturday.
Things turned sour for the Frogs following Goritzka's victory. Freshman Marius Cirstea lost a heartbreaker to Georgy Batrakov at No. 4 singles to see his three-match winning streak come to an end, 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (3). Sophomore Slah Mbarek lost for the first time in five outings after dominating the early portion of his match at No. 3 against Georgy Batrakov. Mbarek won the first set and led 5-2 in the second with a chance to close out the match before Batrakov roared back for a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 victory.
Evan Urbina clinched the BYU victory in the final match of the afternoon by staving off a comeback by junior Zach Nichols at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Spencer Smith recorded the other Cougar point earlier in the day at No. 5 with a 6-4, 6-1 decision over junior Christopher Price.
TCU came out on top in a thrilling doubles competition that featured two matches that went to tiebreakers. Mbarek and Nash opened play with an 8-5 victory at No. 2 over Batrakov and Hwang before Campos and Urbina evened things up with a 9-8 (6) win over Nichols and sophomore Paul Chappell at No. 3. TCU's top pairing of Brighiu and Price, ranked No. 61 nationally, closed out the point by holding off Mears and Shubert, 9-8 (4).
"This one is going to hurt for a while," head coach Dave Borelli said. "I have to take my hat off to BYU. Those guys played great. It's my first loss to BYU as the men's or women's head coach here, and they played really well and competed hard against us today."
TCU returns to action Tuesday at 5 p.m., when it completes a previously suspended matchup against SMU in Dallas. The squad then returns to Fort Worth to finish off its home conference schedule Friday at 10 a.m. against Air Force.
Results
#34 BYU 4, #56 TCU 3
April 10, 2010
Fort Worth, Texas
Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center/Bernard J. "Tut" Bartzen Varsity Courts
Doubles
1. *#61 E. Brighiu/C. Price (TCU) def. C. Mears/T. Shubert (BYU) 9-8 (7-4)
2. S. Mbarek/C. Nash (TCU) def. G. Batrakov/D. Hwang (BYU) 8-5
3. R. Campos/E. Urbina (BYU) def. P. Chappell/Z. Nichols (TCU) 9-8 (8-6)
Singles
1. Emanuel Brighiu (TCU) def. Thomas Shubert (BYU) 6-2, 6-4
2. *Evan Urbina (BYU) def. Zach Nichols (TCU) 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3
3. Georgy Batrakov (BYU) def. Slah Mbarek (TCU) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
4. Cassidy Mears (BYU) def. Marius Cirstea (TCU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Spencer Smith (BYU) def. Christopher Price (TCU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Sören Goritzka (TCU) def. Daniel Hwang (BYU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1*); Singles (1,5,6,4,3,2*)
*—clinched team victory
Players Mentioned
