Saturday, May 18
Stillwater, Okla.
11 AM
TCU
4
vs
2
Ohio State
Championship Bound! TCU Takes Out No. 1 Ohio State in NCAA Semifinals
5/18/2024 6:17:00 PM | Men's Tennis
STILLWATER, Okla. – TCU is bound for the NCAA D1 Men's Tennis Championship for the first time in school history.
The fourth-seeded Horned Frogs knocked out No. 1 Ohio State, 4-2, in the semifinals of college tennis' pinnacle event on Saturday at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
TCU (27-4) avenged a 4-3 defeat to Ohio State (34-2) on Feb. 19 in the ITA Indoor National Championship and returned the favor on a 2023 NCAA semifinal loss vs. the Buckeyes.
"Not going home yet," said head coach David Roditi. "Here we are, with all our die-hard fans, our family, our 'Keeping it Purple' committee, these people, they got us through today. I couldn't be prouder of our guys. So exciting. First final ever for TCU. What those guys did today, there's no words to describe it, other than, 'We're not going home.' We've got one more match, we're doing everything we can to be ready tomorrow, and I know our guys will show up like they did today. Go Frogs."
Sunday's finale (4 p.m. CT) pits TCU opposite a familiar foe, as the Horned Frogs will battle No. 2 Texas for all the marbles. The Longhorns skated by No. 6 Wake Forest, 4-2, in part two of Saturday's semifinal doubleheader.
The championship dual marks the eighth meeting overall and fourth with title implications in the last two seasons between the two college tennis titans. TCU won both the 2023 Indoor National Championship and Big 12 Championship at the expense of the Longhorns. Texas claimed this season's conference crown on April 21 over TCU in the programs' most recent head-to-head.
Straights initially appeared dire for TCU vs. the Buckeyes, playing in its sixth Final Four. The Horned Frogs lost the doubles point in a tiebreaker on three and saw Ohio State build early leads on multiple courts to begin singles play. TCU flipped the switch from there, taking four of the first six sets before clinching the match with wins on the top and bottom courts.
Sebastian Gorzny evened the dual at 1-1, defeating Alexander Bernard, 6-3, 6-4, in the fifth position. Jack Pinnington then staked TCU its first lead of a match that took nearly four hours to complete. Anchoring court one, Pinnington, No. 13 nationally, swept No. 34 Justin Boulais via a 6-4, 7-5 margin. Ohio State evened the score with a three-set victory at five.
The match in turn came down to courts two, three and six, all of which saw a third set.
Jake Fearnley, the ITA No. 7 singles player, put TCU in front for good on two, overpowering No. 17 Cannon Kingsley, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
The match-clincher belonged to Tomas Jirousek, who faced off with three-time All-American Robert Cash at six. Jirousek fell 1-6 in set one to Cash, who clinched the Indoor National Championship vs. TCU. The fifth-year senior took the second set, 6-2, and stared down a 3-5 hole in the third frame. Jirousek broke twice, winning four straight games to polish off the upset.
Pedro Vives trailed No. 19 JJ Tracy, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 1-4, when Jirousek mounted his third set comeback. Vives was level with Tracy at four games all when play was paused.
TCU improved to 55-33 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Roditi is now 29-9 in outdoor postseason play.
Saturday's triumph also guaranteed TCU a top-two final ITA team ranking, the first time the program will have achieved the milestone.
Doubles Rundown
Fearnley and Vives picked up their third win over a top-five tandem in as many matches, outlasting No. 3 Tracy and Cash, 6-4, on the top court. The TCU duo, which entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 63rd nationally, also own postseason victories over No. 1 Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas of Duke and Kentucky's fourth-ranked tandem of Joshua Lapadat and Taha Baadi.
They are now 6-0 as partners, with all-but-one win coming against ranked opposition.
TCU, though, was unable to overcome an early break on in the second position and pull through in a court three tiebreaker.
Gorzny and Pinnington fell 6-3 to the Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig – one of two All-American Buckeye doubles pairs – on two.
Duncan Chan and Lui Maxted faced Jack Anthrop and Kingsley in what proved to be a winner-take-all battle on three. Neither duo was able to secure a break. Anthrop and Kingsley built a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker on their way to a 7-4 clincher.
TCU fell to 21-10 overall in doubles but is 8-2 when dropping the doubles point.
Doubles Results
Singles Rundown
Gorzny's straight set takedown of Bernard overlapped with a pair of first set clinchers from Pinnington and Vives, swinging the pendulum back in favor of TCU.
Bernard entered undefeated at 21-0 in duals. Gorzny avenged a 2023 semifinal to Bernard on five with his performance.
Pinnington and Fearnley swept Boulais and Kingsley for the second time this season. Pinnington has now won nine consecutive matches on court one. He is a team-best 32-7 overall in singles play. The sophomore's 32 singles victories are the most in a season by any Horned Frog in the Big 12 era.
Fearnley spiked his record to 15-2. Both he and Pinnington are 8-0 in national championship events this spring.
Jirousek picked up his team-leading sixth match-clincher of the season and third in postseason affairs.
Maxted came up short vs. Anthrop, 3-6, 6-2, 5-7, on four to give Ohio State its lone singles court. He led 5-3 in set three.
Singles Results
The fourth-seeded Horned Frogs knocked out No. 1 Ohio State, 4-2, in the semifinals of college tennis' pinnacle event on Saturday at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
TCU (27-4) avenged a 4-3 defeat to Ohio State (34-2) on Feb. 19 in the ITA Indoor National Championship and returned the favor on a 2023 NCAA semifinal loss vs. the Buckeyes.
"Not going home yet," said head coach David Roditi. "Here we are, with all our die-hard fans, our family, our 'Keeping it Purple' committee, these people, they got us through today. I couldn't be prouder of our guys. So exciting. First final ever for TCU. What those guys did today, there's no words to describe it, other than, 'We're not going home.' We've got one more match, we're doing everything we can to be ready tomorrow, and I know our guys will show up like they did today. Go Frogs."
Sunday's finale (4 p.m. CT) pits TCU opposite a familiar foe, as the Horned Frogs will battle No. 2 Texas for all the marbles. The Longhorns skated by No. 6 Wake Forest, 4-2, in part two of Saturday's semifinal doubleheader.
The championship dual marks the eighth meeting overall and fourth with title implications in the last two seasons between the two college tennis titans. TCU won both the 2023 Indoor National Championship and Big 12 Championship at the expense of the Longhorns. Texas claimed this season's conference crown on April 21 over TCU in the programs' most recent head-to-head.
Straights initially appeared dire for TCU vs. the Buckeyes, playing in its sixth Final Four. The Horned Frogs lost the doubles point in a tiebreaker on three and saw Ohio State build early leads on multiple courts to begin singles play. TCU flipped the switch from there, taking four of the first six sets before clinching the match with wins on the top and bottom courts.
Sebastian Gorzny evened the dual at 1-1, defeating Alexander Bernard, 6-3, 6-4, in the fifth position. Jack Pinnington then staked TCU its first lead of a match that took nearly four hours to complete. Anchoring court one, Pinnington, No. 13 nationally, swept No. 34 Justin Boulais via a 6-4, 7-5 margin. Ohio State evened the score with a three-set victory at five.
The match in turn came down to courts two, three and six, all of which saw a third set.
Jake Fearnley, the ITA No. 7 singles player, put TCU in front for good on two, overpowering No. 17 Cannon Kingsley, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.
The match-clincher belonged to Tomas Jirousek, who faced off with three-time All-American Robert Cash at six. Jirousek fell 1-6 in set one to Cash, who clinched the Indoor National Championship vs. TCU. The fifth-year senior took the second set, 6-2, and stared down a 3-5 hole in the third frame. Jirousek broke twice, winning four straight games to polish off the upset.
Pedro Vives trailed No. 19 JJ Tracy, 7-6 (5), 3-6, 1-4, when Jirousek mounted his third set comeback. Vives was level with Tracy at four games all when play was paused.
TCU improved to 55-33 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. Roditi is now 29-9 in outdoor postseason play.
Saturday's triumph also guaranteed TCU a top-two final ITA team ranking, the first time the program will have achieved the milestone.
Doubles Rundown
Fearnley and Vives picked up their third win over a top-five tandem in as many matches, outlasting No. 3 Tracy and Cash, 6-4, on the top court. The TCU duo, which entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 63rd nationally, also own postseason victories over No. 1 Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas of Duke and Kentucky's fourth-ranked tandem of Joshua Lapadat and Taha Baadi.
They are now 6-0 as partners, with all-but-one win coming against ranked opposition.
TCU, though, was unable to overcome an early break on in the second position and pull through in a court three tiebreaker.
Gorzny and Pinnington fell 6-3 to the Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig – one of two All-American Buckeye doubles pairs – on two.
Duncan Chan and Lui Maxted faced Jack Anthrop and Kingsley in what proved to be a winner-take-all battle on three. Neither duo was able to secure a break. Anthrop and Kingsley built a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker on their way to a 7-4 clincher.
TCU fell to 21-10 overall in doubles but is 8-2 when dropping the doubles point.
Doubles Results
- #63 Jake Fearnley / Pedro Vives (TCU) def. #3 JJ Tracy / Robert Cash (OSU): 6-4
- Justin Boulais / Andrew Lutschaunig (OSU) def. Sebastian Gorzny / Jack Pinnington (TCU): 6-3
- Jack Anthrop / Cannon Kingsley (OSU) Duncan Chan / Lui Maxted (TCU): 7-6 [7-4]
Singles Rundown
Gorzny's straight set takedown of Bernard overlapped with a pair of first set clinchers from Pinnington and Vives, swinging the pendulum back in favor of TCU.
Bernard entered undefeated at 21-0 in duals. Gorzny avenged a 2023 semifinal to Bernard on five with his performance.
Pinnington and Fearnley swept Boulais and Kingsley for the second time this season. Pinnington has now won nine consecutive matches on court one. He is a team-best 32-7 overall in singles play. The sophomore's 32 singles victories are the most in a season by any Horned Frog in the Big 12 era.
Fearnley spiked his record to 15-2. Both he and Pinnington are 8-0 in national championship events this spring.
Jirousek picked up his team-leading sixth match-clincher of the season and third in postseason affairs.
Maxted came up short vs. Anthrop, 3-6, 6-2, 5-7, on four to give Ohio State its lone singles court. He led 5-3 in set three.
Singles Results
- #13 Jack Pinnington (TCU) def. #34 Justin Boulais (OSU): 6-4, 7-5
- #7 Jake Fearnley (TCU) def. #17 Cannon Kingsley (OSU): 7-5, 5-7, 6-2
- #73 Pedro Vives (TCU) vs. #19 JJ Tracy: 7-6 [7-5], 3-6, 4-4, unfinished
- #30 Jack Anthrop (OSU) def. #77 Lui Maxted (TCU): 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
- #78 Sebastian Gorzny (TCU) def. Alexander Bernard (OSU): 6-3, 6-4
- Tomas Jirousek (TCU) def. Robert Cash (OSU): 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
#1 Singles Match
12
67
Justin Boulais / 0 [OSU]
45
#2 Singles Match
123
756
Cannon Kingsley / 0 [OSU]
572
#3 Singles Match
1234
733UF
JJ Tracy / 0 [OSU]
664UF
#4 Singles Match
123
365
Jack Anthrop / 0 [OSU]
637
#5 Singles Match
12
66
Alexander Bernard / 0 [OSU]
34
#6 Singles Match
123
167
Robert Cash / 0 [OSU]
625
Order of Finish:
5,1,4,2,6
Players Mentioned
/ 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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