TCU
#19 Columbia
Horned Frogs Suffer 4-3 Loss
2/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
FORT WORTH, Texas - After taking a 3-0 lead in the match, the No. 24 TCU men's tennis team could not hold on, as No. 19 Columbia came back to win four straight singles matches to take the 4-3 victory on Sunday afternoon inside the Dick Savitt Tennis Center in New York.
The Horned Frogs (3-3) won two straight tiebreakers to grab the doubles point against the Lions (3-1) as Cameron Norrie and Reese Stalder paired up for the first time this season to down the No. 30 pairing of Shawn Hadavi and Jackie Tang on court one. Guillermo Nuñez and Alex Rybakov finished off the point for TCU by earning their fifth straight win and first over a ranked opponent as they took the 7-2 tiebreaker win over the No. 14 pair of Victor and Richard Pham.
TCU took that momentum into singles as Norrie and Rybakov easily took the top two courts in straight sets. Norrie moved to 3-0 on the year with a 6-2, 6-1 win over No. 39 Hadavi, while Rybakov is 4-1 this season and earned his first ranked win with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 87 Victor Pham. Columbia responded with wins on courts six and four in straight sets while the final two courts went into the third sets. The Frogs could not hold on, as a tiebreaker on the final court decided the match in Columbia's favor as they took the 4-3 win.
Quotes from the Match
Head Coach David Roditi
"As a coach, it is a lot easier to accept losses when they play well and beat you, but losing because we were out-competed is impossible to accept. We had a full line up today and we don't have any excuses. Some of our guys need to get in better shape and the only blame is on them. Our fitness coach is doing his part and these guys aren't.
"Reese (Stalder) played well enough to win and I know he will win a lot of matches for us. He fought and just couldn't hold serve enough times in the third set to get the win. We don't play again until the February 25 and we have to get better and tougher. It hurts to admit it but we need to be tougher."
Match Results
TCU vs Columbia
Feb 12, 2017 at New York, NY
(Dick Savitt Tennis Center)
#19 Columbia 4, #24 TCU 3
Singles competition
1. #35 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #39 Shawn Hadavi (COL) 6-2, 6-1
2. Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #87 Victor Pham (COL) 6-3, 6-1
3. #100 Jackie Tang (COL) def. #80 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
4. Alex Keyser (COL) def. Jerry Lopez (TCU) 6-2, 6-4
5. William Matheson (COL) def. Reese Stalder (TCU) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Timothy Wang (COL) def. Felipe Escobar (TCU) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Cameron Norrie/Reese Stalder (TCU) def. #30 Shawn Hadavi/Jackie Tang (COL) 7-6 (7-0)
2. Guillermo Nuñez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #14 Victor Pham/Richard Pham (COL) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Christopher Grant/Adam Ambrozy (COL) def. Jerry Lopez/Felipe Escobar (TCU) 6-4
Match Notes:
TCU 3-3; National ranking #24
Columbia 3-1; National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,2,6,4,3,5)
Up Next
TCU will return home to the friendly confines of the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center as they welcome UCF for a match on Feb. 25 at 1 p.m.
Players Mentioned
