Fomba, Aguilar Advance to NCAA Second Round

Monday, May 23

Champaign, Ill

12 PM / 3:30 PM

TCU

NCAA

Fomba, Aguilar Advance to NCAA Second Round

5/23/2022 6:10:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Both Horned Frogs claim straight set victories in NCAA Singles First Round

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The NCAA Individual Singles National Championships started off on the right foot for TCU as Juan Carlos Aguilar and Luc Fomba both claimed First Round victories over their opponents. This is the first time TCU will have multiple representatives in the second round since Cameron Norrie (SF) and Alex Rybakov (2R) did so, back in 2016.

Singles Bracket (PDF)
Doubles Bracket (PDF)

No. 16 Juan Carlos Aguilar def. No. 22 Alex Kotzen (Columbia): 6-3, 7-6(4)
Aguilar advanced into the second round with a well-earned straight-set victory over Columbia's No. 22-ranked Kotzen. In the first set, Aguilar's second service game was broken, putting him behind, 1-2, before rallying to break Kotzen's next three service games and win five of the next six games overall to claim the opening set, 6-3. Aguilar was clutch when it mattered most, winning three of four deuce points throughout the set, including a string of three games in a row decided by deuce points at 2-2, 3-2 and 4-2.

Aguilar picked up right where he left off in the second, taking the opening three games, to claim a 3-0, double-break advantage. He won two more deuce points in that stretch, bringing the total for the match to 5-1 in favor of Aguilar. Kotzen bounced back, proving his No. 22 collegiate rank, and taking the next four games to put the set back on serve, 3-4. Both players held serve with Aguilar defending a set point on deuce to bring the match level again, 5-5. Aguilar would hold serve by winning four points in a row at 5-6, forcing a tiebreaker. Entering the breaker, both players had won four of six service games with Aguilar, once again, winning three of four deuce points.

In the tiebreak, both players traded points through the first five, with Aguilar stopping the trend by capitalizing on a minibreak to take a 4-2 lead. Kotzart bounced back by winning the next point on Aguilar's serve to put the score back on serve, 4-3, only for Aguilar to fight back, yet again, winning the next point and taking a 5-3 lead with the next two points coming from his serve. With the match in his sights, Aguilar won his next two service points, taking the tiebreak, 7-4, and winning the match.

"Today was a tough match as I knew it would be," Aguilar said. "I had lost to [Kotzen] in the fall at the ITA national tournament so a part of me wanted to get my revenge. I just went into the match knowing that he plays a lot of long points and doesn't give you a lot of unforced errors. So, I knew I had to stay tough and wait for my moment to attack. I'm excited about the way I performed today and now I just have to get ready for LSU tomorrow."

It is his second-career NCAA Individual Singles Tournament victory as he punches his ticket to the second round for the first time as a Horned Frog and first time since 2019. Aguilar will take on LSU's Ronnie Hohmann, tomorrow.

All told, Aguilar won six of eight deuce points throughout the match, winning 7/11 service games and 5/10 return games. He won 4/6 service points in the tiebreaker, while taking 3/5 return points.

No. 12 Luc Fomba def. No. 53 Gustaf Strom (Arizona): 6-2, 6-4
Both sides held serve through the first four games of the first set before Fomba found a groove and dominated play, breaking his opponent twice and holding serve for the entirety of the set for a 6-2 result. Fomba won the final five games of the set, three holds and two breaks, winning 20 of the final 29 points. His serve, while impressive, was overshadowed by his patient play on the back line as Fomba continuously dictated points with his looping one-handed backhand, forcing Strom to attempt aggressive winners amid long rallies, often resulting in errors.

The second set started off with six holds before Fomba finally broke through to take a 4-3 lead. The very next game, Strom broke back, bringing the match level again, 4-4, only for Fomba to flex his muscles, taking a deuce point to regain the lead, 5-4, and then taking all four points in his resulting service game to collect the 6-4 victory.

"I'm very glad to be here, competing in this event," Fomba said. "These are the best singles players in college and it's a privilege to be a part of it and to get the win is very nice for me. I know Strom a lot. He's very tough to beat so I'm glad I was able to break back at deuce point in the second set and keep advancing."

This was Fomba's third all-time win at the individual tournament and his first in straight sets. He will take on the winner of No. 38 Henry von der Schulenburg (Harvard) vs. No. 59 Olivier Stewart (Illinois) tomorrow in the second round.

Fomba won 8/9 service games throughout the match while also earning 4/9 return games. He was 1-1 on deuce point, winning the one that mattered most in the penultimate game.

Up Next
Aguilar will take on No. 29 Ronnie Hohmann (LSU) in the second round with Fomba preparing to take on the winner of No. 38 Henry von der Schulenburg (Harvard) vs. No. 59 Olivier Stewart (Illinois). In doubles action, No. 1-seeded Fomba/Jake Fearnley will play their first-round match against No. 33 Charles Bertimon/Maxence Bertimon (VCU). Times have not been released for the matches tomorrow. Follow TCU Men's Tennis on social media for updates.

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