Thursday, September 21
San Francisco, Calif.
All Day
TCU
vs
Battle in the Bay Classic
Preview: TCU Men's Tennis Opens Fall Season with Pair of Overlapping Events
9/19/2023 8:23:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Battle in the Bay Classic home PageLive Scoring: Battle in the Bay ClassicUS College Cup Invitational Home Page
TCU to split its squad between Battle in the Bay Classic and US College Cup Invitational
FORT WORTH – TCU men's tennis is kicking off the 2023-24 campaign with a Texas-sized two-step across the Pacific Seaboard.
The Horned Frogs begin the fall portion of their season with two overlapping events on Sept. 21-24 in the Battle in the Bay Classic, hosted by University of San Francisco, and inaugural US College Cup Invitational in Torreon, Mexico.
A total of eight athletes are competing evenly between the tournaments for TCU. The Horned Frogs are sending returning letter winners Sebastian Gorzny, Lui Maxted, Jack Pinnington and Pedro Vives to California. Junior Luke Swan and newcomers Julian Alonso, Duncan Chan and Kaj Quirijns are taking part in the US College Cup Invitational.
TCU is participating in the Battle in the Bay Classic for the sixth consecutive year. The 64-player tournament is regarded as one of college tennis' most competitive fall events. Both the singles and doubles champions receive a wild card onto a series of ATP Challenger or Futures tournaments along the west coast.
The US College Cup Invitational is designed to give new or underclassmen players an opportunity to play a sizeable quantity of matches against competition from a handful of the sport's elite programs. Joining TCU in northeastern Mexico are players from Big 12 rivals Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas among other schools.
Team results will not be issued from any fall tournaments, but individuals will be credited with wins and losses in accordance with ITA customs.
About the Battle in the Bay Classic
If past seasons are any indication, TCU's visit to the Bay Area is likely to be fruitful.
The Horned Frogs have won two of the tournament's last four singles championships. Fifth-year senior Jake Fearnley hoisted the chalice last fall while fellow All-American Alex Rybakov claimed the crown in 2018.
TCU produced a 13-4 collective singles record over the four-day affair in 2022. Fearnley, who won 10-of-11 completed sets on his way to a 5-0 record, and Vives accounted for nine of the victories. Vives, a junior, rallied from an opening-round defeat to win four straight matches on his way to the consolation singles championship.
The tournament is comprised of a 32-player singles and doubles main draw. Doubles matches will be contested as an 8-point pro set with a 7-point tiebreak if tied at 7-all. The first day of singles scoring features a 10-point tiebreaker for matches gridlocked at one set apiece. The remainder of main draw matches will include full tiebreak sets.
Competing for TCU: Battle in the Bay Classic
The tournament is comprised of 32-player singles and doubles main draws along with consolation brackets for both match types. Links to live scoring and draws will be made available on the tournament page on WeAreCollegeTennis.com in the coming days.
Competing for TCU: US College Cup Invitational
TCU is set to travel up to six players to the ITA All-American Championships, held from Sept. 30-Oct. 8 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pinnington was awarded a spot in the 64-player main singles bracket. Gorzny and Vives were automatic qualifiers for the main doubles draw on the strength of their preseason ranking. Qualifying singles and doubles play runs from Oct. 2-3 before giving way to the main draw. Finalized draws are expected to be released on Sept. 28.
Across the ITA Rankings
Six Horned Frogs combined to garner a nation-leading eight preseason ITA singles and doubles rankings, which were unveiled on Sept. 6. TCU was the lone program with three projected doubles tandem ranked and one of three teams to have five ranked singles players. The eight preseason ITA ranking credentials are TCU's most in program history.
ITA Division I Men's Singles Rankings
7. Jake Fearnley
26. Jack Pinnington
43. Sebastian Gorzny
82. Pedro Vives
123. Lui Maxted
ITA Division I Men's Singles Rankings
13. Sebastian Gorzny / Pedro Vives
17. Jake Fearnley / Jack Pinnington
38. Duncan Chan / Lui Maxted
Team Notables
The Horned Frogs begin the fall portion of their season with two overlapping events on Sept. 21-24 in the Battle in the Bay Classic, hosted by University of San Francisco, and inaugural US College Cup Invitational in Torreon, Mexico.
A total of eight athletes are competing evenly between the tournaments for TCU. The Horned Frogs are sending returning letter winners Sebastian Gorzny, Lui Maxted, Jack Pinnington and Pedro Vives to California. Junior Luke Swan and newcomers Julian Alonso, Duncan Chan and Kaj Quirijns are taking part in the US College Cup Invitational.
TCU is participating in the Battle in the Bay Classic for the sixth consecutive year. The 64-player tournament is regarded as one of college tennis' most competitive fall events. Both the singles and doubles champions receive a wild card onto a series of ATP Challenger or Futures tournaments along the west coast.
The US College Cup Invitational is designed to give new or underclassmen players an opportunity to play a sizeable quantity of matches against competition from a handful of the sport's elite programs. Joining TCU in northeastern Mexico are players from Big 12 rivals Baylor, Oklahoma and Texas among other schools.
Team results will not be issued from any fall tournaments, but individuals will be credited with wins and losses in accordance with ITA customs.
About the Battle in the Bay Classic
If past seasons are any indication, TCU's visit to the Bay Area is likely to be fruitful.
The Horned Frogs have won two of the tournament's last four singles championships. Fifth-year senior Jake Fearnley hoisted the chalice last fall while fellow All-American Alex Rybakov claimed the crown in 2018.
TCU produced a 13-4 collective singles record over the four-day affair in 2022. Fearnley, who won 10-of-11 completed sets on his way to a 5-0 record, and Vives accounted for nine of the victories. Vives, a junior, rallied from an opening-round defeat to win four straight matches on his way to the consolation singles championship.
The tournament is comprised of a 32-player singles and doubles main draw. Doubles matches will be contested as an 8-point pro set with a 7-point tiebreak if tied at 7-all. The first day of singles scoring features a 10-point tiebreaker for matches gridlocked at one set apiece. The remainder of main draw matches will include full tiebreak sets.
Competing for TCU: Battle in the Bay Classic
- Sebastian Gorzny: The preseason No. 43 ITA singles player, Gorzny tallied the second-most victories of any player (41) last season. He produced a 21-3 mark in singles, tallying victories on courts three through six. He was tabbed the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in April. Gorzny only played in one fall tournament in 2022 – the ITA Texas Regional – and made the most of it. He won four main draw matches to advance to the semifinals of the 64-player field and finish one victory shy of earning an automatic berth to the ITA National Fall Championships. He and Vives played every dual doubles match alongside one another in 2022-23, racking up a 20-7 combined record. Gorzny and Vives were tabbed the preseason ITA No. 13 pair and will make their 2023-24 doubles debut together in San Francisco.
- Lui Maxted: Maxted was rightfully rewarded with a preseason ITA singles ranking after going 11-1 in dual singles matches last spring. The junior checked in at No. 123. Maxted has won seven singles matches in fall tournaments. Doubles, though have been his specialty. Maxted was the 2022 ITA National Fall Championships doubles runner-up alongside Sander Jong. He won nine of his final 11 doubles matches on his way to the grand finale of fall tennis and is 17-5 in doubles in tournament play.
- Jack Pinnington: The sophomore is making his collegiate fall tennis debut after being denied immediate eligibility by the NCAA last season. Pinnington is TCU's second-highest ranked singles and doubles player at No. 26 and No. 17, respectively. The London native enters the fall red hot. Pinnington closed his summer on Tour by winning the M25 Roehampton singles championship. He most recently finished as the runner-up to Vives at the UTR PTT 25K on Sept. 9 in Fort Worth. Pinnington went 8-4 in singles play last year, competing primarily on courts two and three. He was tabbed the ITA Texas Region Newcomer of the Year in June.
- Pedro Vives: There may not be another player nationwide who has enjoyed as big of a breakout summer as Vives, No. 82 in the preseason ITA singles rankings. Vives currently boasts the fourth-highest universal tennis rating (UTR) among all active collegians at 14.11. He advanced to his first-ever ATP Challenger Tour quarterfinal on Thursday after winning four consecutive matches – two qualifying, two main draw – at the ATP Cary Challenger. Vives defeated Virginia and Ohio State's No. 2 singles players in Inaki Montes-De La Torre and Cannon Kingsley in qualifying. He battled the tournament's top overall seed, world No. 72 Rinky Hijikata, in a competitive two-set match in the quarterfinals. Vives skyrocketed to a career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 574 following his stay in North Carolina. The Fort Worth UTR PTT 25K marked the fourth professional title Vives has won since June.
The tournament is comprised of 32-player singles and doubles main draws along with consolation brackets for both match types. Links to live scoring and draws will be made available on the tournament page on WeAreCollegeTennis.com in the coming days.
Competing for TCU: US College Cup Invitational
- Julian Alonso: He is one of three freshmen set to make his TCU debut in Mexico. Alonso played his first pair of unattached matches on the purple courts at the Fort Worth UTR PTT 25k. The son of former ATP world No. 36 Julian Alonso, he has competed for Reial Club Tenis Barcelona – the premier club tennis program in Spain – which has produced a litany of professional players, including Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.
- Duncan Chan: Chan received the preseason No. 38 ITA doubles ranking alongside Maxted. He achieved a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 75 on Jan. 9. Chan picked up an opening-round victory at the Fort Worth UTR PTT 25k on Sept. 3.
- Kaj Quirijns: He ascended as high as No. 277 in the ITF junior rankings prior to arriving in Fort Worth. Quirijns, originally from Switzerland, also competed at the Australian Open Junior Championships.
- Luke Swan: The jaunt south will be Swan's second collegiate fall tournament. He debuted in purple and white at the 2022 ITA Texas Regional. Swan picked up his first collegiate victory in doubles in TCU's 2022-23 season opener on Jan. 14 vs. Abilene Christian.
TCU is set to travel up to six players to the ITA All-American Championships, held from Sept. 30-Oct. 8 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Pinnington was awarded a spot in the 64-player main singles bracket. Gorzny and Vives were automatic qualifiers for the main doubles draw on the strength of their preseason ranking. Qualifying singles and doubles play runs from Oct. 2-3 before giving way to the main draw. Finalized draws are expected to be released on Sept. 28.
Across the ITA Rankings
Six Horned Frogs combined to garner a nation-leading eight preseason ITA singles and doubles rankings, which were unveiled on Sept. 6. TCU was the lone program with three projected doubles tandem ranked and one of three teams to have five ranked singles players. The eight preseason ITA ranking credentials are TCU's most in program history.
ITA Division I Men's Singles Rankings
7. Jake Fearnley
26. Jack Pinnington
43. Sebastian Gorzny
82. Pedro Vives
123. Lui Maxted
ITA Division I Men's Singles Rankings
13. Sebastian Gorzny / Pedro Vives
17. Jake Fearnley / Jack Pinnington
38. Duncan Chan / Lui Maxted
Team Notables
- TCU is the only program nationwide to have garnered nine consecutive top-10 ITA end-of-season team rankings. The Horned Frogs concluded the 2022-23 season ranked fourth. The No. 4 ranking marked the program's second-best end-of-season finish.
- The Horned Frogs became one of six programs in the history of college tennis to repeat as ITA Indoor National Champions in February.
- The Horned Frogs have advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA D1 Men's Tennis Championship in four straight seasons. TCU has reached the quarterfinals six times in the last eight years. No program nationwide has notched more quarterfinal berths than TCU since 2015.
- TCU received a program record 11 postseason All-Big 12 Conference honors in 2022-23.
- Roditi repeated as Big 12 Coach of the Year last spring. The honor, as voted on by his conference head coaching peers, marked his fifth conference coach of the year citation. His five selections are the most received by any Big 12 head coach since the conference's inception in 19997.
- TCU has claimed five of the last eight Big 12 regular season championships and won the conference tournament three times (2016, 2017, 2023) in that span.
- The Horned Frogs amassed a combined 468 ATP points from June-August.
- Three of TCU's nine active players have earned ITA National Fall Championships caps. Fearnley and Maxted qualified in singles and doubles, respectively, in 2022. Vives reached the fall season's finale in 2021 by winning the ITA Texas Regional doubles championship with Jong.
- TCU's five returning players competing this week produced a combined 51-11 singles record in 2022-23.
- The Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center will play host to the ITA Texas Regional from Oct. 19-24. Regional champions and finalists in both singles and doubles automatically qualify for the ITA National Fall Championships.
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
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
The Roditi Rule
Friday, March 07
#TCU National Champions Day in DC #gofrogs
Wednesday, July 24
Jake Fearnley Talking about his time with TCU Men's Tennis
Tuesday, June 25
TCU Wins NCAA D1 Men's Tennis Championship
Saturday, May 25
