Friday, April 1
Fort Worth, Texas
5:30 PM
TCU
6
vs
1
Texas Tech
TCU Battles Past Texas Tech
4/1/2022 11:53:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Horned Frogs Win three three-set matches to defeat TTU, 6-1
FORT WORTH – No. 3 TCU men's tennis (18-3) delivered when it mattered most, fighting off No. 40 Texas Tech for a 6-1 victory on Friday evening at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. After comfortably taking the doubles point, TCU won two of three straight set results before each of the remaining three singles matches needed a full, 12-game third set to decide a winner. Over an hour after TCU went in front, 3-1, Luc Fomba won his third set, 7-5, to clinch the win with Tomas Jirousek and Tim Ruehl winning tiebreakers to bring the final score to 6-1.
"It's great to start 1-0 in the Big 12," head coach David Roditi said. "Tech showed they have a lot of good players and therefore it was an absolute battle. People look at 6-1 but it's absolutely nothing to do with the way the match was for us. To win the two matches 7-6 and the other 7-5 in the third was very good for our guys confidence and exactly what they needed since some of them haven't had a full season of playing yet. We will build on it and get the body and mind ready for Baylor on Sunday. It was great to see all the families our here and so many kids running around. We love the support and next Saturday could be the best one yet against UT. We would love to get the biggest crowd of the whole year next Saturday and we're going to need all of the Frog Family to do it. Go Frogs!!"
TCU was masterful in doubles play, securing early breaks on all three courts. Luc Fomba and Jake Fearnley stayed hot, collecting their sixth-straight doubles victory, 6-3, on court one. The pairing has been handling their business comfortably as of late, winning their last four matches of their six-match streak by an average score of 6-2.5.
Sander Jong and Lui Maxted clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win of their own on two. They improve to 13-2 this season. TCU has won 10 of its 18 doubles points this season thanks to wins from its top two pairs – Fomba/Fearnley and Jong/Maxted.
DOUBLES QUICK HITS
Doubles Results
1. #2 Luc Fomba/Jake Fearnley (TCU) def. Isaac Arevalo/Piotr Pawlak (TTU) 6-3
2. #3 Sander Jong/Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Franco Ribero/Reed Collier (TTU) 6-3
3. Juan Carlos Aguilar/Tim Ruehl (TCU) vs. Ilgiz Valiev/Dimitrio Azoides (TTU) 5-2, unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles play unfolded in two parts, three straight set results and three third-set battles. Juan Carlos Aguilar came back from an early break in his opening set to control his match at No. 2, winning 12 of the next 16 games and winning the match, 7-5, 6-2. Shortly after, Jong polished off a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 3, holding serve after an early break in his first set and powering his way to a pair of early breaks in his second. Maxted's second set come back fell short on four, resulting in a 3-1 dual score with three matches headed to a third set.
Those three matches arrived in the third set in very different ways. Fomba lost a 4-2 lead in his opening set, falling 4-6, before bouncing back with an early break in the second and holding serve, 6-4. Tomas Jirousek got off to a slow start, losing his first set, 1-6, before finding his form and wearing down his opponent with a break to win the second set, 6-4. Tim Ruehl, playing on his birthday, blitzed his opponent in the first, 6-1, only to lose the second, 2-6. All three matches were headed to a third set with TCU needing just one win to clinch the dual.
Fomba was the first Horned Frog to take the lead, delighting the Horned Frog faithful with a break, 2-1. But he couldn't consolidate the break and the set drew even again, 3-3. Jirousek brought the attention to court five when he went ahead, 4-2, and then again, 5-3, but the Red Raiders wouldn't go quietly, and the set went back on serve, 5-5. Finally, it was Fomba at No. 1, winning a break to go in front, 6-5, before holding serve with an ace at 40-0, to clinch the TCU victory.
Jirousek and Ruehl each went to a tiebreaker, with Ruehl holding serve throughout the first 12 games. Jirousek was all over the court, showing off his fitness and shot making ability throughout his 7-3 tiebreak victory at No. 5, putting TCU ahead 5-1. Ruehl recorded the final TCU point, winning six of the final eight points to come from behind for a 8-6 victory at No. 6.
SINGLES QUICK HITS
Singles Results
1. #18 Luc Fomba (TCU) def. #109 Isaac Arevalo (TTU) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
2. #14 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TCU) def. Reed Collier (TTU) 7-5, 6-2
3. #55 Sander Jong (TCU) def. Ilgiz Valiev (TTU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Olle Wallin (TTU) def. #65 Lui Maxted (TCU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Tomas Jirousek (TCU) def. Dimitrio Azoides (TTU) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Tim Ruehl (TCU) def. Franco Ribero (TTU) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish – 2, 4, 3, 1, 5, 6
Up Next
The Horned Frogs travel to Waco for a revenge match against the No. 4 Baylor Bears this Sunday at 1 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 Instagram.
"It's great to start 1-0 in the Big 12," head coach David Roditi said. "Tech showed they have a lot of good players and therefore it was an absolute battle. People look at 6-1 but it's absolutely nothing to do with the way the match was for us. To win the two matches 7-6 and the other 7-5 in the third was very good for our guys confidence and exactly what they needed since some of them haven't had a full season of playing yet. We will build on it and get the body and mind ready for Baylor on Sunday. It was great to see all the families our here and so many kids running around. We love the support and next Saturday could be the best one yet against UT. We would love to get the biggest crowd of the whole year next Saturday and we're going to need all of the Frog Family to do it. Go Frogs!!"
TCU was masterful in doubles play, securing early breaks on all three courts. Luc Fomba and Jake Fearnley stayed hot, collecting their sixth-straight doubles victory, 6-3, on court one. The pairing has been handling their business comfortably as of late, winning their last four matches of their six-match streak by an average score of 6-2.5.
Sander Jong and Lui Maxted clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win of their own on two. They improve to 13-2 this season. TCU has won 10 of its 18 doubles points this season thanks to wins from its top two pairs – Fomba/Fearnley and Jong/Maxted.
DOUBLES QUICK HITS
- Fomba and Fearnley dominated their match at No. 1, winning 6-3.
- They are 15-3 as a pair, all at No. 1
- They have won six matches in a row, their longest winning streak of the season.
- Fomba/Fearnley are 4-0 against doubles pairs from schools within Texas.
- Jong and Maxted clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory at No. 2
- They advance to 13-2 this season in Maxted's Big 12 debut.
- TCU improves to 33-8 in doubles matches this season, outscoring opponents 285-207.
- TCU has won 18 of 21 doubles points this season (85.7%).
- 10 of TCU's 18 doubles points have come with wins from Fomba/Fearnley and Jong/Maxted.
Doubles Results
1. #2 Luc Fomba/Jake Fearnley (TCU) def. Isaac Arevalo/Piotr Pawlak (TTU) 6-3
2. #3 Sander Jong/Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Franco Ribero/Reed Collier (TTU) 6-3
3. Juan Carlos Aguilar/Tim Ruehl (TCU) vs. Ilgiz Valiev/Dimitrio Azoides (TTU) 5-2, unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles play unfolded in two parts, three straight set results and three third-set battles. Juan Carlos Aguilar came back from an early break in his opening set to control his match at No. 2, winning 12 of the next 16 games and winning the match, 7-5, 6-2. Shortly after, Jong polished off a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 3, holding serve after an early break in his first set and powering his way to a pair of early breaks in his second. Maxted's second set come back fell short on four, resulting in a 3-1 dual score with three matches headed to a third set.
Those three matches arrived in the third set in very different ways. Fomba lost a 4-2 lead in his opening set, falling 4-6, before bouncing back with an early break in the second and holding serve, 6-4. Tomas Jirousek got off to a slow start, losing his first set, 1-6, before finding his form and wearing down his opponent with a break to win the second set, 6-4. Tim Ruehl, playing on his birthday, blitzed his opponent in the first, 6-1, only to lose the second, 2-6. All three matches were headed to a third set with TCU needing just one win to clinch the dual.
Fomba was the first Horned Frog to take the lead, delighting the Horned Frog faithful with a break, 2-1. But he couldn't consolidate the break and the set drew even again, 3-3. Jirousek brought the attention to court five when he went ahead, 4-2, and then again, 5-3, but the Red Raiders wouldn't go quietly, and the set went back on serve, 5-5. Finally, it was Fomba at No. 1, winning a break to go in front, 6-5, before holding serve with an ace at 40-0, to clinch the TCU victory.
Jirousek and Ruehl each went to a tiebreaker, with Ruehl holding serve throughout the first 12 games. Jirousek was all over the court, showing off his fitness and shot making ability throughout his 7-3 tiebreak victory at No. 5, putting TCU ahead 5-1. Ruehl recorded the final TCU point, winning six of the final eight points to come from behind for a 8-6 victory at No. 6.
SINGLES QUICK HITS
- Aguilar returned to the singles lineup with a victory at No. 2.
- He improves to 10-6 this season and 6-2 against unranked opponents.
- Jong collected his team-leading 15th victory of the season, improving to 15-4 with a straight set win at No. 3.
- Jong is 6-0 against programs from Texas this season, with five of those wins coming in straight sets.
- Fomba clinched the match in his second straight outdoor start at No. 1
- He is now 9-2 at the top spot this season, his career-high for a single season.
- Fomba has won four matches in a row, despite losing the opening set in three of those wins.
- Jirousek recorded his fifth win of the year, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(3).
- This was his first three-set win of the season and third of his career.
- He won his third-career tiebreaker improving to 3-2 in match deciding tiebreakers.
- Ruehl ended the day on a positive note, earning his second singles victory of the year: 6-1, 2-6, 7-6(6).
- Ruehl has made five previous starts in singles play, with four left unfinished for a season record of 2-0.
- TCU is 18-3 this season, 9-3 vs. Top 25 teams and 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play.
- The Horned Frogs are 71-30 in singles matches this dual season.
Singles Results
1. #18 Luc Fomba (TCU) def. #109 Isaac Arevalo (TTU) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
2. #14 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TCU) def. Reed Collier (TTU) 7-5, 6-2
3. #55 Sander Jong (TCU) def. Ilgiz Valiev (TTU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Olle Wallin (TTU) def. #65 Lui Maxted (TCU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Tomas Jirousek (TCU) def. Dimitrio Azoides (TTU) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Tim Ruehl (TCU) def. Franco Ribero (TTU) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (8-6)
Order of finish – 2, 4, 3, 1, 5, 6
Up Next
The Horned Frogs travel to Waco for a revenge match against the No. 4 Baylor Bears this Sunday at 1 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 Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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