TCU
#26 SMU
Horned Frogs Upset SMU
3/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
FORT WORTH, Texas - The No. 41 TCU men's tennis team battled back to secure its second straight upset victory of the season with a 5-2 win over No. 26 SMU on Thursday night at the SMU Tennis Complex in Dallas, Texas.
The Horned Frogs (5-3) lost the double point for the first time in six matches as the Mustangs (8-3) took a tiebreaker on the final court to take the early lead. TCU did not stay down for long as No. 19 Cameron Norrie continued to stay undefeated in singles action with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over No. 46 Ronald Slobodchikov at the top position. Jerry Lopez put point No. 2 on the board for the Frogs by dominating on court four with a straight-set win and his 11th victory over the season.
SMU would even out the match by taking the win on court six, but TCU won the final three courts to secure the victory. Reese Stalder scored his win with a 7-5, 7-6 (3) win on court five, before Alex Rybakov clinched the match for the second-straight time with a three-set win over No. 51 Hunter Johnson on court two for his second win over a ranked opponent this season. No. 112 Guillermo Nuñez won the final court in action by retirement.
Quotes from the Match
Head Coach David Roditi
"This was a very good road win. I am proud of the guys for coming back on the road from losing the doubles point. The key was a quick win by (Cameron) Norrie and (Jerry) Lopez followed by a critical win from Reese (Stalder) in the second set tiebreaker. They have been working hard and it showed today. We still have a few things we need to clean up. (Alex) Rybakov did a great job of competing to close the match out. We had a lot of fans come out and also alumni and it helped us get through those tough moments. We will get a little better in the next few days to welcome No. 3 Wake Forest on Monday."
Match Results
TCU vs SMU
Mar 02, 2017 at Dallas, Texas
(SMU Tennis Complex)
#41 TCU 5, #26 SMU 2
Singles competition
1. #19 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #46 Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) 6-0, 6-2
2. Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #51 Hunter Johnson (SMU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
3. #112 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. Samm Butler (SMU) 6-7, 7-5, 3-0, retired
4. Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-2, 6-2
5. Reese Stalder (TCU) def. Yates Johnson (SMU) 7-5, 7-6
6. Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) def. Gianni Mancini (TCU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #42 Yates Johnson/Hunter Johnson (SMU) def. #14 Guillermo Nuñez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) 7-6 (8-6)
2. Reese Stalder/Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Markus Kerner/Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) 6-3
3. Tony Russell/Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) def. Cameron Norrie/Gianni Mancini (TCU) 6-1
Match Notes:
TCU 5-3; National ranking #41
SMU 8-3; National ranking #26
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,4,6,5,2,3)
Up Next
TCU will return to the friendly confines of the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center and welcome No. 3 Wake Forest for a 1 p.m. showdown on Monday, March 6.
Players Mentioned
