TCU Takes Down No. 14 Ole Miss, 4-0

Friday, February 28

Fort Worth, Texas

5:30 PM

TCU

Ole Miss

TCU Takes Down No. 14 Ole Miss, 4-0

2/28/2020 9:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score

Horned Frogs win fifth straight with another sweep of Top-15 opponent.

FORT WORTH – No. 12 TCU men's tennis (8-4) won its fifth consecutive match Friday evening at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, taking down No. 14 Ole Miss, 4-0. It is the third sweep of a Top-15 team in the last two weeks for the Horned Frogs, also No. 10 NC State and No. 6 Texas A&M. Sophomore Luc Fomba and Junior Bertus Kruger each went 2-0 on the day to fuel the Frogs to victory. TCU has now swept four of its last five opponents.

"Today's match was a battle and I'm proud of the way our guys fought in every spot," head coach David Roditi said. "It was great to see Teddy [Paroulek] and Sander come back from 5-2 down in the tiebreaker after missing out on some chances. They showed a lot of poise and resilience to give the team a huge point. Great performances by Alastair [Gray] and Luc [Fomba] at the top, then we just needed one more. Bertus [Kruger]bounced back from a disappointing second set and showed maturity and grit to get that third set. Thanks to all the families and high schools that came to watch and take advantage of a beautiful day at our tennis center. We will need lots of help Sunday against No. 8 Stanford after our women's match. Come on out! Go Frogs!"

DOUBLES RECAP
The doubles point was up for grabs after the teams split results on courts one and three. The point rested with the Horned Frogs as a result of a thrilling tiebreak at No. 2.

Luc Fomba and Bertus Kruger continued to terrorize opponents at No. 3 doubles. The pair won the final four games to finish off their sixth straight doubles victory. They continue to lead the team with a stellar 9-1 record in doubles competition.

At No. 2 doubles, Sander Jong and Tadeas Paroulek found themselves in a sticky situation. Both pairs held serve to a tiebreak, where TCU fell behind, 2-5. With their backs against the wall, Jong and Paroulek recollected themselves and charged forward on a five-point run to win the tiebreak, the match and the doubles point for the Frogs, 7-6)5). It was the seventh win of the year got the tandem, improving their doubles record to 7-3 this season.

Doubles Results
1. #40 Finn Reynolds/Tim Sandkaulen (OM) def. #19 Jacob Fearnley/Alastair Gray (TCU) 6-2
2. #57 Sander Jong/Tadeas Paroulek (TCU) def. Jan Soren Hain/Simon Junk (OM) 7-6 (5)
3. Luc Fomba/Bertus Kruger (TCU) def. Cotter Wilson/Nikola Slavic (OM) 6-2
Order of finish – 1, 3, 2

SINGLES RECAP
TCU relied on the top of the lineup to come through tonight, getting quick wins on courts one and two before Kruger fought through a third set to clinch the match at No. 6.

Alastair Gray collected his fourth win over a ranked opponent this season when he dispatched of No. 55 Sandkaulen in straight sets. Gray brought the crowd to its feet with his masterful court coverage and shot-making ability throughout the night. Late breaks resulted in set victories for the junior as he got the win with surgical precision. The win improves Gray's record to 5-2 in singles play this spring.

Fomba kept the momentum going at No. 2, where he used a late break, 5-3, to win his opening set. The second was more of the same as his serve couldn't seem to be broken. He capped off the night with an ace on his second serve, the second time he has won a match on a second-serve ace in his current four-match win streak, also against No. 31 Aguilar (TAMU). He has now won four straight singles matches, all at No. 2, including ranked wins over No. 96 and No. 31. He is a team-best 7-2 in singles play this season. This evening was his fourth 2-0 day of the year, winning both singles and doubles, also a team-lead.

The finishing blow, for the third straight match, came courtesy of Kruger at No. 6. The South African jumped out to a blistering start in his opening set, winning 6-1. He would face adversity on the second set, forcing him to regroup and show his maturity in the third set. From the start of the third, it was clear Kruger had reset his game as he dominated play once again, taking the third set, 6-1. It was his third-straight singles win and second consecutive three-set victory. TCU, as a team, has now won nine straight singles matches at No. 6. The Horned Frogs finish February with a perfect 6-0 record at No. 6, courtesy of Kruger, Sander Jong and Tomas Jirousek.

Singles Results
1. #50 Alastair Gray (TCU) def. #55 Tim Sandkaulen (OM) 6-3, 6-4
2. #79 Luc Fomba (TCU) def. Jan Soren Hain (OM) 6-3, 6-4
3. Tadeas Paroulek (TCU) vs. Finn Reynolds (OM) 6-3, 2-6, 3-0, unfinished
4. #117 Jacob Fearnley (TCU) vs. Nikola Slavic (OM) 4-6, 5-5, unfinished
5. Sander Jong (TCU) vs. Simon Junk (OM) 4-6, 5-5, unfinished
6. Bertus Kruger (TCU) def. Lukas Engelhardt (OM) 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
Order of finish – 1, 2, 6

Up Next
TCU hopes to make it six straight when they welcome No. 8 Stanford to the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on Sunday at 2 p.m.

For more information on TCU men's tennis, visit gofrogs.com and follow the team on social media: @TCUMensTennis on twitter, Facebook and the all new men's tennis Instagram.