TCU
#2 Baylor
Horned Frogs Edged by Bears, 4-3
4/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
WACO, Texas -- With the match decision coming down to a tiebreaker on court one, the No. 6 TCU men's tennis team could not overcome No. 2 Baylor and fell to the Bears in the semifinals of the 2015 Big 12 Tennis Championship, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco.
Nick Chappell battled back from being down a set and a break in the second to win the set and gave the Horned Frogs (21-7, 3-2) match point up 6-5 in the third, but No. 1 Julian Lenz lifted the Bears (21-4, 4-1) to victory by breaking Chappell and then winning the tiebreaker to take the match.
"I am obviously disappointed. We were right there and had a match point, but I couldn't be more proud of our guys for the way they fought back," head coach David Roditi said. "We didn't have the best start possible and it is hard on the road, but we kept fighting and came back in some matches. Nick (Chappell) was down a set and 5-3 in the second and I couldn't be more proud of Nick for coming back in that second set and winning. He then put himself in a situation to get us a win and I know he wanted that match more than anybody. I am proud of him for the way he played and Baylor deserves the credit. They hit the shots at the right time.
"I am also extremely proud of the way our guys handled this whole situation. I thought our guys couldn't show more class and I am proud to say I am their coach."
Baylor opened the doubles portion of the match by winning court three, 6-3, but TCU stormed back as No. 29 Trevor Johnson and Cameron Norrie picked up their seventh consecutive victory with a 6-4 win at the No. 2 position.
With the doubles point decision coming down to court one, No. 20 Chappell and Will Stein could not overcome an early break, as No. 18 Lenz and Diego Galeano notched the 6-4 win to give Baylor the early 1-0 lead.
The Bears put their lead up to 2-0 after a win on court four, but No. 40 Norrie got his 22nd victory of the season and eighth over a ranked opponent by downing No. 74 Max Tchoutakian at the No. 3 position, 6-4, 7-5.
Baylor got one step closer to the win and went up 3-1 after a win on court six, but Arnau Dachs put the second point on the board by picking up his second win over a ranked opponent with a 6-1, 7-6(7) victory over No. 110 Mate Zsiga.
The match decision would come down to the top two courts, as Guillermo Nuñez fought back after being down a set to win a second set tiebreaker and then blank No. 33 Tony Lupieri 6-0 in the final set to even out the match score, 3-3.
As Nuñez wrapped up his match, focus turned to the first court as Chappell was serving for the match. Lenz proved to be too much and broke Chappell and then took the tiebreaker, 7-1, to claim the match for Baylor.
TCU will now await their selection into the NCAA Championship, which will be announced on Tuesday, April 28 at 5 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
TCU vs Baylor
Apr 25, 2015 at Waco, Texas
(Hurd Tennis Center)
#2 Baylor 4, #6 TCU 3
Singles competition
1. #1 Julian Lenz (BU) def. #53 Nick Chappell (TCU) 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7-1)
2. #59 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. #33 Tony Lupieri (BU) 3-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0
3. #40 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #74 Max Tchoutakian (BU) 6-4, 7-5
4. Diego Galeano (BU) def. Facundo Lugones (TCU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Arnau Dachs (TCU) def. #110 Mate Zsiga (BU) 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)
6. Felipe Rios (BU) def. Will Stein (TCU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #19 Julian Lenz/Diego Galeano (BU) def. #20 Nick Chappell/Will Stein (TCU) 6-4
2. #29 Trevor Johnson/Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #53 Tony Lupieri/Mate Zsiga (BU) 6-3
3. Vince Schneider/Felipe Rios (BU) def. Guillermo Nuñez/Hudson Blake (TCU) 6-3
Match Notes:
TCU 21-6 (3-2); National ranking #6
Baylor 20-4 (4-1); National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (4,3,6,5,2,1)
Big 12 Conference Tournament Semifinal
T-3:10
Players Mentioned
