Rybakov Leads TCU to Victory

Monday, April 8

Fort Worth, Texas

5:30 PM

TCU

#8 Texas A&M

Rybakov Leads TCU to Victory

4/8/2019 11:08:00 PM | Men's Tennis

TCU 4, Texas A&M 3 (PDF)Photo Gallery

The senior clinched the 4-3 win over No. 8 Texas A&M with a three-set victory on court one.

FORT WORTH, Texas – For the fourth straight season, the No. 10 TCU men's tennis team's match with No. 8 Texas A&M came down to the final court as senior Alex Rybakov prevailed with a three-set victory to give the Horned Frogs the 4-3 win on Monday night in the final home match of the 2019 season at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

TCU (17-5) kicked things off by grabbing the doubles point against the Aggies (19-5) as the top two duos cruised to victories. The No. 13 pair of Bertus Kruger and Reese Stalder jumped out to an early lead on court two and never looked back as the duo took the 6-2 win. The top pair and No. 45 ranked duo of Alastair Gray and Alex Rybakov would finish it off with a 6-3 victory on court one for the pair's third straight win and fifth over a ranked opponent.

The battle was not over as the teams split the opening sets on the six courts. Texas A&M was able to take the win on court three to get on the board, but TCU responded with back-to-back wins on the bottom two courts to regain the lead. Luc Fomba rebounded from a first set loss to take the 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win on court five before Sander Jong captured the 7-5, 6-4 victory on court six. The Aggies did not back down and were able to pick up tough wins on courts two and four to even up the match at 3-3. With all eyes on court one, Rybakov used an early break in the final set to create some distance and never looked back as the senior served out his final match on the purple Bernard J. 'Tut' Bartzen to claim the 7-6(1), 6-7(2), 6-3 win over No. 75 Hady Habib.

Quotes from the Match
Head Coach David Roditi
"Today was a total team effort and what a match. It is always like this against Texas A&M and somehow we have been able to come through with the win. They are a very good team and a Final Four squad from last season. I am proud of our guys for dealing with the pressure that competition brings. Rybakov was outstanding closing out the match and our crowd was awesome and supportive.

"A huge thank you to our fans that made the TCU Tailgate happen for the last five matches. Thank you to our staff for putting in all the work behind it, our keep it in the purple committee for always welcoming all fans with a smile and our administration for trusting us and allowing us to create such a unique and awesome experience for our student athletes, TCU fans and our Fort Worth community."

Match Results
Texas A&M vs TCU
Apr 08, 2019 at Fort Worth, Texas
(Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
#10 TCU 4, #8 Texas A&M 3

Singles competition
1. #4 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #75 Hady Habib (TAMU) 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3
2. #56 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) def. #20 Alastair Gray (TCU) 7-6 (7-3), 7-5
3. #40 Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Reese Stalder (TCU) 6-3, 6-4
4. #92 Barnaby Smith (TAMU) def. Bertus Kruger (TCU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
5. Luc Fomba (TCU) def. Noah Schachter (TAMU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
6. Sander Jong (TCU) def. Guido Marson (TAMU) 7-5, 6-4

Doubles competition
1. #45 Alex Rybakov/Alastair Gray (TCU) def. #16 Juan Carlos Aguilar/Barnaby Smith (TAMU) 6-3
2. #13 Reese Stalder/Bertus Kruger (TCU) def. Hady Habib/Kevin Lam (TAMU) 6-2
3. Valentin Vacherot/Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. Luc Fomba/Sander Jong (TCU) 6-3

Match Notes:
Texas A&M 19-5; National ranking #8
TCU 17-5; National ranking #10
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,5,6,4,2,1)
T-2:51 A-823

Up Next
Today's win over Texas A&M concludes the 2019 home season for TCU. The Frogs will finish out the regular season on the road as the team travels to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State on April 12 and April 14, respectively.