TCU Unable to Overcome No. 1 North Carolina

Sunday, February 9

Fort Worth, Texas

1:00 PM

TCU

North Carolina

TCU Unable to Overcome No. 1 North Carolina

2/9/2020 4:59:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

Horned Frogs drop first home match of 2020 to USTA No. 1 North Carolina

FORT WORTH -- TCU men's tennis (3-3) couldn't get the result it wanted against No. 1 North Carolina (7-0) Sunday afternoon inside the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. After losing the doubles point, 2-1, TCU fell in five singles matches, with the final match being abandoned in the first set.

DOUBLES RECAP
TCU gave the Tarheels everything they could handle in doubles play. The point would have to be determined in a tiebreaker at No. 2, where North Carolina took the point.

The No. 34-ranked pairing of Alastair Gray and Jacob Fearnley notched their third victory of the season by ousting Blumberg/Cernoch of UNC, 6-4. Both pairs held serve until the final game, where Gray and Fearnley claimed the win with the only break of the match. They are now 3-1 on the season heading into the ITA Indoor National Championships next weekend.

After UNC won on court three, attention was turned toward No. 2, where Sander Jong and Tadeas Paroulek were engaged in a thrilling match with the No. 3-ranked pairing of Kiger and Soendergaard. After falling behind, 1-4, Jong and Paroulek stormed back, winning five of the next six games to put the match back on serve and lead, 6-5. North Carolina held serve to force a tiebreak where the tide turned in favor of the Tarheels, giving UNC the doubles point, 7-6(3).

Doubles Results
1. #34 Alastair Gray/Jacob Fearnley (TCU) def. William Blumberg/Brian Cernoch (NC) 6-4
2. #3 Mac Kiger/Simon Soendergaard (NC) def. Sander Jong/Tadeas Paroulek (TCU) 7-6 (7-3)
3. Rinky Hijikata/Benjamin Sigouin (NC) def. Luc Fomba/Bertus Kruger (TCU) 6-3
Order of finish – 3, 1, 2

SINGLES RECAP
TCU got off to a strong start, going in front by a break on four courts but it wasn't to be, in the end. North Carolina won three of the first five opening sets and would eventually win all five decided matches.

Tomas Jirousek claimed a set against the No. 80-ranked singles player in the nation before falling in three. Tadeas Paroulek also won his first set but would retire, down a break, in the third.

Luc Fomba put up a strong fight against No. 60, Sigouin, but would lose his opening set in a tiebreak and eventually fall in two sets.

Singles Results
1. William Blumberg (NC) def. #55 Alastair Gray (TCU) 6-1, 7-5
2. #60 Benjamin Sigouin (NC) def. #125 Luc Fomba (TCU) 7-6, 6-3
3. Rinky Hijikata (NC) def. #122 Tadeas Paroulek (TCU) 4-6, 6-2, 2-1, retired
4. Brian Cernoch (NC) def. Bertus Kruger (TCU) 6-4, 6-4
5. #80 Josh Peck (NC) def. Tomas Jirousek (TCU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
6. Sander Jong (TCU) vs. Simon Soendergaard (NC) 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish – 1, 4, 2, 3, 5

Up Next
The Horned Frogs will regroup and refocus before traveling to Madison, Wisconsin for the ITA Indoor National Championships next weekend (Feb. 14-17).

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.