Horned Frogs Shut Out SMU, Extend Rivalry Winning Streak to 14

Monday, January 16

Fort Worth, TX

4 PM

TCU

SMU

Horned Frogs Shut Out SMU, Extend Rivalry Winning Streak to 14

1/16/2023 8:28:00 PM | Men's Tennis

TCU did not drop a set in a 5-0 victory

FORT WORTH – Nearly a decade-and-a-half has passed since No. 3 TCU last relinquished the Iron Skillet to SMU on the men's tennis court.

And the Horned Frogs' dominant run over the Mustangs continued on Monday, as TCU pitched a 5-0 shutout inside the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

TCU has now won 14 consecutive matches over the Mustangs dating back to 2006.

The Horned Frogs did not drop a set all dual. TCU (2-0) won the doubles point via victories in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions. Consecutive triumphs in the second, fourth and first singles flights clinched the match. TCU notched its final win of the evening in the No. 5 singles billing. The No. 3 and No. 6 singles matches were left unfinished.

"Really good win over SMU," head coach David Roditi said. "They're a very good team. It's always a battle. Such a big rivalry. A lot of respect. They're well-coached and they keep getting better every single year. I was very impressed with the way our guys came out. Our guys knew what they were up against, and they showed up and they took care of business. Very impressive performance at No. 1 in doubles with Sander Jong and Lui Maxted, and then also with Jake Fearnley and Luc Fomba at No. 2. We get the doubles point and then Fomba gets off the court (in singles). Lui gets off the court in a great win and then Sander clinched the match. I'm just impressed with the way our guys competed. We get to keep the skillet. Great support – awesome to see so many people here – and go Frogs."

The Horned Frogs have won 14 straight indoor matches – the longest indoor winning streak in program history – dating back to 2022.

TCU is now 26-1 in sets played through two indoor matches.

Doubles Rundown

Jong and Maxted got the nod in the No. 1 singles position for the second straight match. The duo never trailed on its way to a 6-2 win over the Mustang's Pranav Kumar and Adam Neff.

Jong, a senior from Amsterdam, set the tone with three consecutive aces to stake the TCU pair to a 1-0 lead. Their advantage soon swelled to 4-1. Jong and Maxted then claimed the set via consecutive games.

Jong and Maxted, the No. 4 ITA doubles team, are now 32-8 in doubles when paired together.

The No. 2 doubles match featured the return of the All-American duo of Fomba and Jake Fearnley, who sat out TCU's season-opening victory over Abilene Christian due to injury.

The tandem quickly built a 4-0 lead over SMU's Jack Winkler and Julian Steinhausen in the No. 2 post. Winkler and Steinhausen claimed four of the next five points to trim the TCU duo's edge to one point before Fomba and Fearnley clinched the match and doubles point in the ensuing game.

Fomba and Fearnley, the preseason ITA No. 1 doubles team, played together for the first time since the Battle in the Bay Classic in September.

Sebastian Gorzny and Pedro Vives battled Antonio-Muniz-Hidalgo and Liam Krall of SMU in the No. 3 doubles flight. They competed to a 6-6 gridlock before the match was left unfinished.

Doubles Results

1. #4 Sander Jong / Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Pranav Kumar / Adam Neff (SMU) 6-2
2. Jake Fearnley / Luc Fomba (TCU) def. Jack Winkler / Julian Steinhausen (SMU) 6-4
3. Sebastian Gorzny / Pedro Vives (TCU) vs. Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo / Liam Krall (SMU): 6-6, unfinished

Singles Rundown

Fomba finished first in singles play for the second time in as many matches. He erased 2-1 holes in both sets opposite Kumar to cruise to a 6-4, 6-3 win.

The senior and No. 28 ITA singles player boosted his singles record to 8-2 in 2022-23.

Maxted put TCU within a point of victory shortly thereafter. Assuming the No. 4 post, Maxted drew the task of Muniz-Hidalgo. He won three consecutive games to snap a 3-3 tie in set one into a 1-0 lead. Maxted's grit was again on display in the second frame. He battled out of a 2-0 hole to assume a 3-2 lead he never relinquished on his way to a 7-5 set-clinching win.

Jong earned the match-clincher – his first of 2022 – in his second consecutive match as TCU's No. 1 singles player. He bested Neff via 6-4 triumphs in both sets.

Vives made it academic with a 6-3, 6-3 win opposite Steinhausen in the No. 5 position.

The win was Vives' 20^th combined singles victory in purple and white.

The No. 3 match featured the season debut of Tomas Jirousek. Though his match was left unfinished, Jirousek, a junior from Prague, Czech Republic, undoubtedly notched the comeback performance of the match. He fell behind 5-2 to Krall in set one, only to rally and force a 5-5 tie. Krall won the ensuing game, but Jirousek again counterpunched, knotting the score at 6-all and claiming the tiebreaker for a 7-6 win. He led 2-1 before TCU halted play with the match in hand.

Gorzny and Winkler played out the first set of their match at the No. 6 post. Gorzny won 6-2.

Singles Results

1. Sander Jong (TCU) def. Adam Neff (SMU): 6-4, 6-4
2. #28 Luc Fomba (TCU) def. Pranav Kumar (SMU): 6-4, 6-3
3. Tomas Jirousek (TCU) vs. Liam Krall (SMU): 7-6, 2-1, unfinished
4. Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Antionio Muniz-Hidalgo (SMU): 6-3, 7-5
5. #76 Pedro Vives (TCU) def. Julian Steinhausen (SMU): 6-3, 6-3
6. Sebastian Gorzny (TCU) vs. Jack Winkler (SMU): 6-2, unfinished

Up Next

TCU hits the road for the first time in 2023 to face Tulsa at noon on Sunday inside the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.

The Horned Frogs and Golden Hurricane have played annually since 2011, with TCU claiming eight of the last 12 meetings between the two schools.

TCU's next home match is Jan. 28 vs. Gonzaga.