Thursday, February 2
Knoxville, TN
4 PM
TCU
at
#10 Tennessee
TCU Readies for Ranked Road Tests at No. 10 Tennessee, No. 14 North Carolina
2/1/2023 12:23:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Match NotesWatch vs. Tennessee Live Stats vs. TennesseeWatch vs. North CarolinaLive Stats vs. North Carolina
Third-ranked Horned Frogs have won eight consecutive road matches
FORT WORTH – The first real test in 2023 awaits TCU, as the Horned Frogs dodged a Dallas-Fort Worth ice storm and departed east for a pair to top-15 duals.
The third-ranked Horned Frogs battle No. 10 Tennessee at 4 p.m. on Thursday on Rocky Top before heading to Chapel Hill to face No. 14 North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
TCU (5-0) arrives in the Volunteer State on the heels of punching its fifth straight ticket to the ITA Indoor National Championships, held from Feb. 17-20 in Chicago
Speaking of Indoor Nationals, the Horned Frogs and Volunteers have history there. TCU defeated Tennessee 4-1 on Feb. 21, 2022, in the most recent meeting between the programs to hoist its first-ever national championship.
Sunday's match with the Tar Heels continues what projects as a grueling second half to the indoor season. TCU is set to face seven straight opponents and play 10 of its next 11 matches opposite teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the ITA rankings.
Follow Along vs. Tennessee
Watch: gofrogs.co/3Dxd21M
Live Stats: gofrogs.co/3kZcqLV
Series History: Tennessee
All-Time: Tennessee leads 6-2
Home Record: 0-1
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Record: 1-5
First Meeting: 5-4 Tennessee, March 25, 1983, in Wichita, Kansas
Last Meeting: 4-1 TCU, Feb. 21, 2022, in Seattle
Current Winning Streak: TCU W1
Follow Along vs. North Carolina
Watch: gofrogs.co/3l27Qwj
Live Stats: gofrogs.co/3Dz6dMZ
Series History: North Carolina
All-Time: UNC leads 9-8
Home Record: 4-3
Away Record: 1-2
Neutral Record: 3-4
First Meeting: 5-4 TCU, March 8, 1978, in Fort Worth
Last Meeting: 6-0 UNC, Feb. 9, 2020, in Fort Worth
Current Winning Streak: UNC W1
Inside the Matchups
TCU earned the right to defend its 2022 ITA Indoor National Championship in full, shutting out Gonzaga and Texas Tech at ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 28-29 in Fort Worth.
The Horned Frogs notched their fifth consecutive berth and 20th all-time to Indoor Nationals. TCU's 4-0 win over the Red Raiders in the regional final signified its 11th straight ITA Kickoff Weekend victory, all of which have been shutouts inside the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
TCU swept courts one and two in singles play in both matches and won 14-of-16 completed singles sets.
Jake Fearnley, Luc Fomba, Sander Jong and Lui Maxted each went 3-0 on the weekend. Fearnley and Fomba were victorious in both of their singles matches.
Up Next
TCU concludes a three-match ranked road swing with a bus ride to Waco on Feb. 8 to face N0. 11 Baylor. The dual between the Horned Frogs and Bears will count as a nonconference affair. The midweek match could very well mark the first time in a two-week span the Horned Frogs face off with a Big 12 counterpart. Both Baylor and No. 6 Texas will join the Horned Frogs in the Windy City for the 16-team ITA Indoor National Championships tournament.
Across the ITA Rankings
ITA Team Rankings (Feb. 1)
No. 3 - TCU
ITA Singles Rankings (Nov. 16)
No. 8 - Jake Fearnley
No. 28 - Luc Fomba
No. 76 - Pedro Vives
ITA Doubles Rankings (Nov. 16)
No. 4 - Sander Jong / Lui Maxted
Preseason ITA Singles Rankings (Sept. 6)
No. 5 - Luc Fomba
No. 58 - Sander Jong
No. 65 - Jake Fearnley
No. 66 - Lui Maxted
No. 87 - Pedro Vives
Preseason ITA Singles Rankings (Sept. 6)
No. 1 - Luc Fomba / Jake Fearnley
No. 3 - Sander Jong / Lui Maxted
ITA Newcomer Rankings (Sept. 6)
No. 5 - Sebastian Gorzny
254 and counting...
As of Wednesday, Feb. 1, four years, 10 months and three weeks have passed since TCU last dipped outside the top-25 of the ITA team rankings. The Horned Frogs have boasted 255 consecutive top-25 appearances, a streak matched by few other Division I programs.
The streak began on March 21, 2018, when TCU skyrocketed from No. 32 to No. 11 following three straight wins over No. 17 Duke (March 13), No. 12 Florida (March 14) and No. 9 Columbia (March 18)
The trio of top-20 wins ignited a 12-match winning streak to close the regular season. The Horned Frogs concluded the 2016-17 season with a 20-5 overall record and No. 9 final ITA team ranking.
Since then, TCU has spent just one week outside the top-20 of the ITA team rankings and posted an 81-24 combined record in that span.
TCU's program-best streak of top-25 appearances will reach five years should the Horned Frogs hold steady in the rankings through March 21.
Protect the Purple
The Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center is arguably the toughest venue in the nation for opposing teams to compete at. TCU has amassed a 99-11 (.900) record on the purple courts since 2015. Of the 97 victories, 61 have come at the expense of ranked opponents. Under head coach David Roditi, the Horned Frogs have posted a remarkable 139-35 (.799) home record.
On the Road Again
Nearly two years have passed since TCU dropped an away dual.
The Horned Frogs' 6-1 victory at Tulsa on Jan. 22 extended the program's road winning streak to eight, dating back to the 2020-21 season.
TCU notched a perfect 7-0 record in away matches in 2022.
The Horned Frogs' last road defeat came in the Big 12 Tournament Championship at Baylor on Apr. 25, 2021.
Flawless Form From Fomba
Fifth-year senior Luc Fomba looks to be in midseason form two weeks into the 2023 campaign. The four-time All-American boasts a 9-0 combined singles and doubles record and has yet to drop a set this spring. He has clinched the doubles point in three of TCU's five victories (ACU, SMU, Texas Tech). Fomba, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships in October, is 18-3 overall in 2022-23.
Landlord Almighty
A spectacular fall season by Sander Jong saw the fifth-year senior rewarded with TCU's No. 1 singles and doubles positions to begin the spring. Jong notched three consecutive shutouts as TCU's top singles player. Jong, an All-Big 12 first team honoree in 2022, anchored the No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles posts last spring. Since 2022, Jong is 33-9 in singles play and 31-9 in doubles action. Jong ascended to TCU's top flights following a national runner-up finish in doubles at the ITA National Fall Championships on Nov. 6 and championship victory at TCU's 25k PTT on Nov. 20.
The third-ranked Horned Frogs battle No. 10 Tennessee at 4 p.m. on Thursday on Rocky Top before heading to Chapel Hill to face No. 14 North Carolina at 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
TCU (5-0) arrives in the Volunteer State on the heels of punching its fifth straight ticket to the ITA Indoor National Championships, held from Feb. 17-20 in Chicago
Speaking of Indoor Nationals, the Horned Frogs and Volunteers have history there. TCU defeated Tennessee 4-1 on Feb. 21, 2022, in the most recent meeting between the programs to hoist its first-ever national championship.
Sunday's match with the Tar Heels continues what projects as a grueling second half to the indoor season. TCU is set to face seven straight opponents and play 10 of its next 11 matches opposite teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the ITA rankings.
Follow Along vs. Tennessee
Watch: gofrogs.co/3Dxd21M
Live Stats: gofrogs.co/3kZcqLV
Series History: Tennessee
All-Time: Tennessee leads 6-2
Home Record: 0-1
Away Record: 1-0
Neutral Record: 1-5
First Meeting: 5-4 Tennessee, March 25, 1983, in Wichita, Kansas
Last Meeting: 4-1 TCU, Feb. 21, 2022, in Seattle
Current Winning Streak: TCU W1
Follow Along vs. North Carolina
Watch: gofrogs.co/3l27Qwj
Live Stats: gofrogs.co/3Dz6dMZ
Series History: North Carolina
All-Time: UNC leads 9-8
Home Record: 4-3
Away Record: 1-2
Neutral Record: 3-4
First Meeting: 5-4 TCU, March 8, 1978, in Fort Worth
Last Meeting: 6-0 UNC, Feb. 9, 2020, in Fort Worth
Current Winning Streak: UNC W1
Inside the Matchups
- TCU has won eight consecutive road matches - a streak that dates back to Apr. 25, 2021.
- The Horned Frogs are riding a program-record 17-match indoor winning streak into Rocky Top.
- Beginning with Thursday's match vs. the Volunteers, TCU will play seven straight and 10 of its next 11 confirmed matches vs. programs featured in the top-25 of the ITA team rankings.
- TCU and Tennessee are meeting for the third time on the indoor courts in the last 12 months. Tennessee handed TCU its lone indoor defeat in 2022 in a 4-3 thriller inside the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. TCU avenged the loss in triumphant fashion a month later, downing the Volunteers 4-1 in the ITA Indoor National Championships final to capture the program's first-ever national championships.
- Jake Fearnley and Sander Jong won both their singles and doubles matches to account for three of TCU's points in last season's Indoor National Championship victory over Tennessee. Pedro Vives then earned the match-clincher on court four to secure the title.
- TCU and Tennessee have met just once in Knoxville, a 4-0 shutout in favor of the Horned Frogs on March 13, 2019.
- The Volunteers own a 6-2 edge over TCU in the all-time series between the programs. UNC has claimed nine duals to TCU's eight in the teams' 17-match history.
- TCU punched its fifth straight ticket and 20th all-time to the ITA Indoor National Championships on Sunday via shutouts of Gonzaga and Texas Tech during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
- The Horned Frogs have not trailed in 11 consecutive indoor matches.
- TCU is off to its second 5-0 start to a season under David Roditi and 12th overall in the 49-year history of the program.
- Should TCU knock off the Volunteers and Tar Heels, it will garner its first 7-0 record in the Roditi era and first since 2008.
- TCU has yet to lose on courts 1-4 in singles play three weeks into the 2023 campaign. The Horned Frogs sport a 17-0 record across the top-four singles flights and are 20-2 overall in singles play. TCU has claimed 48-of-53 completed singles sets.
- TCU has won nine consecutive doubles points dating back to the 2022 season.
- Four Horned Frogs sport undefeated overall records; Luc Fomba (9-0), Sander Jong (7-0), Lui Maxted (7-0) and Jake Fearnley (6-0). Fomba and Fearnley have yet to surrender a set.
- Fomba, No. 28 in the ITA singles rankings, has been the first Horned Frog to clinch in three of his four singles wins.
- Fearnley is TCU's highest-ranked singles player at No. 8. He was elevated to the No. 1 post for ITA Kickoff Weekend.
- Jong and Maxted, the doubles runners-up at the ITA National Fall Championships, are 11-3 in 2022-2023 and 31-9 all-time when paired together in doubles. They have won 11 of their last 12 completed matches.
- Nearly three years have passed since TCU dropped out of the top-10 of the ITA team rankings. In fact, the Horned Frogs are enjoying the longest consecutive streak of weeks ranked in the top-10 of any Division I program. TCU has boasted a top-10 ITA team ranking for 155 consecutive weeks, dating back to March 10, 2020.
- TCU is the only program in the country that has finished in the top-10 of the final ITA team rankings for eight consecutive seasons.
TCU earned the right to defend its 2022 ITA Indoor National Championship in full, shutting out Gonzaga and Texas Tech at ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 28-29 in Fort Worth.
The Horned Frogs notched their fifth consecutive berth and 20th all-time to Indoor Nationals. TCU's 4-0 win over the Red Raiders in the regional final signified its 11th straight ITA Kickoff Weekend victory, all of which have been shutouts inside the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
TCU swept courts one and two in singles play in both matches and won 14-of-16 completed singles sets.
Jake Fearnley, Luc Fomba, Sander Jong and Lui Maxted each went 3-0 on the weekend. Fearnley and Fomba were victorious in both of their singles matches.
Up Next
TCU concludes a three-match ranked road swing with a bus ride to Waco on Feb. 8 to face N0. 11 Baylor. The dual between the Horned Frogs and Bears will count as a nonconference affair. The midweek match could very well mark the first time in a two-week span the Horned Frogs face off with a Big 12 counterpart. Both Baylor and No. 6 Texas will join the Horned Frogs in the Windy City for the 16-team ITA Indoor National Championships tournament.
Across the ITA Rankings
ITA Team Rankings (Feb. 1)
No. 3 - TCU
ITA Singles Rankings (Nov. 16)
No. 8 - Jake Fearnley
No. 28 - Luc Fomba
No. 76 - Pedro Vives
ITA Doubles Rankings (Nov. 16)
No. 4 - Sander Jong / Lui Maxted
Preseason ITA Singles Rankings (Sept. 6)
No. 5 - Luc Fomba
No. 58 - Sander Jong
No. 65 - Jake Fearnley
No. 66 - Lui Maxted
No. 87 - Pedro Vives
Preseason ITA Singles Rankings (Sept. 6)
No. 1 - Luc Fomba / Jake Fearnley
No. 3 - Sander Jong / Lui Maxted
ITA Newcomer Rankings (Sept. 6)
No. 5 - Sebastian Gorzny
254 and counting...
As of Wednesday, Feb. 1, four years, 10 months and three weeks have passed since TCU last dipped outside the top-25 of the ITA team rankings. The Horned Frogs have boasted 255 consecutive top-25 appearances, a streak matched by few other Division I programs.
The streak began on March 21, 2018, when TCU skyrocketed from No. 32 to No. 11 following three straight wins over No. 17 Duke (March 13), No. 12 Florida (March 14) and No. 9 Columbia (March 18)
The trio of top-20 wins ignited a 12-match winning streak to close the regular season. The Horned Frogs concluded the 2016-17 season with a 20-5 overall record and No. 9 final ITA team ranking.
Since then, TCU has spent just one week outside the top-20 of the ITA team rankings and posted an 81-24 combined record in that span.
TCU's program-best streak of top-25 appearances will reach five years should the Horned Frogs hold steady in the rankings through March 21.
Protect the Purple
The Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center is arguably the toughest venue in the nation for opposing teams to compete at. TCU has amassed a 99-11 (.900) record on the purple courts since 2015. Of the 97 victories, 61 have come at the expense of ranked opponents. Under head coach David Roditi, the Horned Frogs have posted a remarkable 139-35 (.799) home record.
On the Road Again
Nearly two years have passed since TCU dropped an away dual.
The Horned Frogs' 6-1 victory at Tulsa on Jan. 22 extended the program's road winning streak to eight, dating back to the 2020-21 season.
TCU notched a perfect 7-0 record in away matches in 2022.
The Horned Frogs' last road defeat came in the Big 12 Tournament Championship at Baylor on Apr. 25, 2021.
Flawless Form From Fomba
Fifth-year senior Luc Fomba looks to be in midseason form two weeks into the 2023 campaign. The four-time All-American boasts a 9-0 combined singles and doubles record and has yet to drop a set this spring. He has clinched the doubles point in three of TCU's five victories (ACU, SMU, Texas Tech). Fomba, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American Championships in October, is 18-3 overall in 2022-23.
Landlord Almighty
A spectacular fall season by Sander Jong saw the fifth-year senior rewarded with TCU's No. 1 singles and doubles positions to begin the spring. Jong notched three consecutive shutouts as TCU's top singles player. Jong, an All-Big 12 first team honoree in 2022, anchored the No. 2 doubles and No. 3 singles posts last spring. Since 2022, Jong is 33-9 in singles play and 31-9 in doubles action. Jong ascended to TCU's top flights following a national runner-up finish in doubles at the ITA National Fall Championships on Nov. 6 and championship victory at TCU's 25k PTT on Nov. 20.
Players Mentioned
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