Wednesday, February 8
Waco, TX
6 PM
TCU
at
#10 Baylor
No. 3 TCU Braces for Battle on the Brazos vs. Baylor
2/7/2023 4:06:00 PM | Men's Tennis
First serve is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center
FORT WORTH – TCU is set to renew a regional rivalry that has dominated the Big 12 men's tennis landscape over the last decade on Wednesday.
The third-ranked Horned Frogs (7-0) will travel to Waco to face No. 11 Baylor (5-2) at 6 p.m. at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
The match will be contested as a nonconference affair, as the Bears will return the trip to Fort Worth on Apr. 6 during Big 12 play. Wednesday's dual also signifies the Horned Frogs' indoor regular season finale following the postponement of TCU's previously scheduled home tilt vs. Pepperdine on Sunday.
This will be the eighth time in the last 24 months that the Horned Frogs and Bears have faced off against one another. And it's entirely conceivable that the Horned Frogs and Bears could match up five times in 2023. Both programs qualified for next week's ITA Indoor National Championships, held from Feb. 17-20 in Chicago, and are likely to earn berths to the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments. TCU and Baylor engaged in four duals - two regular season, two postseason - during the 2021 campaign.
The Horned Frogs and Bears have been the standard bearers for Big 12 men's tennis of late. The programs have combined to claim nine of the last 10 Big 12 regular season championships, with Baylor winning five to TCU's four. Six of the last 10 Big 12 Tournament trophies reside in Fort Worth or Waco.
TCU outlasted Baylor 4-3 in a grueling dual in its most recent visit to Waco on Apr. 3, 2022. The match was decided on court three in singles action, where Sander Jong posted a 6-0 bagel to clinch the win.
The Horned Frogs last visited the base of the Brazos River on Oct. 13-18 when Baylor hosted the ITA Texas Regional. There, TCU notched 16 individual victories and went 14-4 in matches involving other schools. Jong and Lui Maxted (doubles) and Jake Fearnley (singles) earned berths to the ITA National Fall Championships on the strength of their performances at the tournament.
Follow Along
Watch: gofrogs.co/3ewWopp
Live Stats: gofrogs.co/3jDV5HR
Series History: Baylor
All-Time: TCU leads 36-26
Home Record: 18-10
Away Record: 14-12
Neutral Record: 4-4
First Meeting: 6-1 Baylor, Apr. 2, 1974, in Fort Worth
Last Meeting: 4-2 Baylor, Apr. 24, 2022, in Fort Worth
Current Winning Streak: Baylor W1
Frog Focus
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
The Longest Streak of ITA Top-10 Team Rankings in the Nation
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. 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.
256 and counting...
As of Tuesday, Feb. 7, exactly four years and 11 months have passed since TCU last dipped outside the top-25 of the ITA team rankings. The Horned Frogs have boasted 256 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 99 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' 4-3 victory at No. 14 North Carolina on Feb. 5 extended the program's road winning streak to 10, 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.
Back to Defend the Natty
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.
Frogs on the Tour
Eight Horned Frogs compete professionally in ATP and UTR events throughout the offseason in addition to TCU sponsored tournaments. Below are the career-high ATP singles rankings and current UTR of each member of the Horned Frogs' 2023 roster:
ATP Singles Rankings
Jack Pinnington – 489
Pedro Vives – 578
Tomas Jirousek – 762
Sander Jong – 929
Jake Fearnley – 998
Lui Maxted – 1,178
Luc Fomba – 1,370
Sebastian Gorzny – 1,806
UTR
Jack Pinnington - 14.04
Jake Fearnley - 13.72
Sander Jong - 13.55
Sebastian Gorzny - 13.41
Pedro Vives - 13.35
Lui Maxted - 13.29
Tomas Jirousek - 13.05
The third-ranked Horned Frogs (7-0) will travel to Waco to face No. 11 Baylor (5-2) at 6 p.m. at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
The match will be contested as a nonconference affair, as the Bears will return the trip to Fort Worth on Apr. 6 during Big 12 play. Wednesday's dual also signifies the Horned Frogs' indoor regular season finale following the postponement of TCU's previously scheduled home tilt vs. Pepperdine on Sunday.
This will be the eighth time in the last 24 months that the Horned Frogs and Bears have faced off against one another. And it's entirely conceivable that the Horned Frogs and Bears could match up five times in 2023. Both programs qualified for next week's ITA Indoor National Championships, held from Feb. 17-20 in Chicago, and are likely to earn berths to the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments. TCU and Baylor engaged in four duals - two regular season, two postseason - during the 2021 campaign.
The Horned Frogs and Bears have been the standard bearers for Big 12 men's tennis of late. The programs have combined to claim nine of the last 10 Big 12 regular season championships, with Baylor winning five to TCU's four. Six of the last 10 Big 12 Tournament trophies reside in Fort Worth or Waco.
TCU outlasted Baylor 4-3 in a grueling dual in its most recent visit to Waco on Apr. 3, 2022. The match was decided on court three in singles action, where Sander Jong posted a 6-0 bagel to clinch the win.
The Horned Frogs last visited the base of the Brazos River on Oct. 13-18 when Baylor hosted the ITA Texas Regional. There, TCU notched 16 individual victories and went 14-4 in matches involving other schools. Jong and Lui Maxted (doubles) and Jake Fearnley (singles) earned berths to the ITA National Fall Championships on the strength of their performances at the tournament.
Follow Along
Watch: gofrogs.co/3ewWopp
Live Stats: gofrogs.co/3jDV5HR
Series History: Baylor
All-Time: TCU leads 36-26
Home Record: 18-10
Away Record: 14-12
Neutral Record: 4-4
First Meeting: 6-1 Baylor, Apr. 2, 1974, in Fort Worth
Last Meeting: 4-2 Baylor, Apr. 24, 2022, in Fort Worth
Current Winning Streak: Baylor W1
Frog Focus
- TCU is off to its first 7-0 start under 13th-year head coach David Roditi, first since 2008 and 12th all-time. Should the Horned Frogs emerge victorious on Wednesday, they will secure the program's fourth-ever 8-0 season opening record and match the third-best start to a season in school history.
- The Horned Frogs extended their program record indoor winning streak to 19 with road victories at Tennessee and North Carolina on Feb. 2 and Feb. 5, respectively.
- The Horned Frogs became the only team in the country to notch consecutive road wins over ITA top-15 foes via their 4-1 takedown of No. 10 Tennessee and 4-3 comeback at No. 14 North Carolina.
- TCU has won nine consecutive road matches, a streak that dates back to the 2021 season. The Horned Frogs last fell on the road on Apr. 25, 2021, in a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament championship.
- The Horned Frogs are amidst a stretch in their 2023 schedule that will see them play 10-of-11 matches vs. programs ranked or receiving votes in the top-25 of the ITA team rankings.
- The Horned Frogs have claimed 10 straight doubles points dating back to the 2022 campaign. Luc Fomba and Jake Fearnley have clinched the doubles point on court two in four of TCU's last five outings.
- In singles action, TCU has won 65-of-79 completed sets thus far. Fomba and Lui Maxted both sport 5-0 records. Freshman Sebastian Gorzny rounds out TCU's undefeated trio. He is 4-0 with victories in the No. 4 and No. 6 posts.
- Maxted completed TCU's rally from a 3-2 hole vs. UNC by clinching the match on court five. He won nine of his final 11 games to defeat the Tar Heels' Anuj Watane 5-7, 6-4, 6-1.
- Fomba was named Big 12 Men's Tennis Player of the Week for the third time in his career on Wednesday. A four-time ITA All-American, he went 3-0 vs. Tennessee and North Carolina to run his overall record to 11-0 this spring. Fomba has yet to surrender a set this season.
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
The Longest Streak of ITA Top-10 Team Rankings in the Nation
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. 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.
256 and counting...
As of Tuesday, Feb. 7, exactly four years and 11 months have passed since TCU last dipped outside the top-25 of the ITA team rankings. The Horned Frogs have boasted 256 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 99 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' 4-3 victory at No. 14 North Carolina on Feb. 5 extended the program's road winning streak to 10, 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.
Back to Defend the Natty
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.
Frogs on the Tour
Eight Horned Frogs compete professionally in ATP and UTR events throughout the offseason in addition to TCU sponsored tournaments. Below are the career-high ATP singles rankings and current UTR of each member of the Horned Frogs' 2023 roster:
ATP Singles Rankings
Jack Pinnington – 489
Pedro Vives – 578
Tomas Jirousek – 762
Sander Jong – 929
Jake Fearnley – 998
Lui Maxted – 1,178
Luc Fomba – 1,370
Sebastian Gorzny – 1,806
UTR
Jack Pinnington - 14.04
Jake Fearnley - 13.72
Sander Jong - 13.55
Sebastian Gorzny - 13.41
Pedro Vives - 13.35
Lui Maxted - 13.29
Tomas Jirousek - 13.05
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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