TCU and Texas both took one on the chin on Friday night but each rebounded nicely today by going on the road and defeating a quality opponent. TCU dropped a tough 4-2 match on Friday night at No. 13 Northwestern and today they were playing at the site of where their season ended a year ago – Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane were coming off an upset win over Texas so you had to figure it was going to be tough for them to play as well as they did on Friday.
TCU head coach David Roditi stuck with the same doubles pairings but he swapped his teams at No. 1 and No. 2 and both of those teams would be the ones to get wins. Guillermo Nunez and Alex Rybakov cruised to a 6-1 win at No. 2 while Reese Stalder and Jerry Lopez broke to take a 4-3 lead at No. 1 and would win 6-4. TCU didn’t waste any time in singles and took five opening sets with Tulsa only able to take a set at No. 6. Cameron Norrie, Jerry Lopez, and Guillermo Nunez would each win in straight sets at No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4 with Norrie getting the clincher at No. 1.
Post-Match Quotes from TCU’s recap
Getting the first win of the year exactly on the same courts we ended our season last year was kind of nice. Anytime we beat Tulsa on the road means we did a lot of good things. The boys had to overcome a lot of uncertainty before the match not knowing if some of our players would be able to play. The Tulsa athletic trainer did a great job of helping one of our players be healthy enough to play and that player won two matches for us today. The win at No. 2 doubles set the tone for the day. Cameron Norrie showed his level by beating a very tough player easily. We now get to come home and prepare to start our home season next Saturday. We would love to see our fans out-there helping us kick-off our home season with good tennis” – head coach David Roditi
.@og_redwidow & @gdm96_ break down today’s 4-0 win over Tulsa with a very original rap#GoFrogs #TCUTennis pic.twitter.com/PWuDvNKJgX
— TCU Men’s Tennis (@TCUMensTennis) January 22, 2017
Note: Cameron Norrie is headed to Maui to play in the $75K Challenger – his first round match will be on Tuesday against former NC State star James McGee.
#7 TCU 4, Tulsa 0
Jan 22, 2017 at Tulsa, Okla. (Michael D. Case Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #46 Or Ram-Harel (TLSM) 6-3, 6-1
2. Majed Kilani (TLSM) vs. Alex Rybakov (TCU) 0-6, 6-3, unfinished
3. #101 Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Dominic Bechard (TLSM) 6-2, 6-3
4. #55 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. Okkie Kellerman (TLSM) 6-3, 6-4
5. Reese Stalder (TCU) vs. Mitchell Pritchard (TLSM) 7-5, 2-2, unfinished
6. Jarod Hing (TLSM) vs. Trey Daniel (TCU) 6-2, 4-4, unfinished
1. Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #46 Or Ram-Harel (TLSM) 6-3, 6-1
2. Majed Kilani (TLSM) vs. Alex Rybakov (TCU) 0-6, 6-3, unfinished
3. #101 Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Dominic Bechard (TLSM) 6-2, 6-3
4. #55 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. Okkie Kellerman (TLSM) 6-3, 6-4
5. Reese Stalder (TCU) vs. Mitchell Pritchard (TLSM) 7-5, 2-2, unfinished
6. Jarod Hing (TLSM) vs. Trey Daniel (TCU) 6-2, 4-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Reese Stalder/Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Dominic Bechard/Okkie Kellerman (TLSM) 6-4
2. Guillermo Nuñez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Majed Kilani/Or Ram-Harel (TLSM) 6-1
3. Jarod Hing/Daniel Santos (TLSM) vs. Cameron Norrie/Gianni Mancini (TCU) 5-6, unfinished
1. Reese Stalder/Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Dominic Bechard/Okkie Kellerman (TLSM) 6-4
2. Guillermo Nuñez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. Majed Kilani/Or Ram-Harel (TLSM) 6-1
3. Jarod Hing/Daniel Santos (TLSM) vs. Cameron Norrie/Gianni Mancini (TCU) 5-6, unfinished
Match Notes:
TCU 1-1; National ranking #7
Tulsa 4-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (3,4,1)
Tulsa 4-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (3,4,1)
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Texas was coming off a tough 4-3 loss to Tulsa on Friday night but they took care of business on Sunday afternoon in Fayetteville against Arkansas. Texas dropped the doubles point against Tulsa which set the tone for the match and today against Arkansas they won the doubles point and that too set the tone for the match. Arkansas picked up a quick 6-1 win at No. 2 doubles but Texas responded with a 6-4 win at No. 1. Texas served for the match at No. 3 up 5-3 but Arkansas broke and then came back from 15/40 down to hold for 5-5. Texas held for 6-5 and then broke to take it 7-5.
Texas head coach Michael Center made a few changes in the singles lineup (compared to Friday) by swapping George Goldhoff and Yuya Ito at No. 2 and No. 3 plus he moved Leo Telles up from No. 6 to No 5 and had Rodrigo Banzer enter at No. 6 while Julian Zlobinsky sat after playing at No. 5 on Friday.
Texas rode the momentum from the doubles point and took five first sets in singles and Yuya Ito, Harrison Scott, and Leo Telles would win in straight sets with Ito getting the clincher at No. 3. Each of the remaining matches were played out and each went to a third set supertiebreak with Arkansas winning at No. 2 and No. 6 and Texas taking No. 1.
Post-Match Quotes from Texas’s recap
“We worked on the doubles on Saturday and came out to try a few different things and made some changes,” said 17th-year Texas head coach Michael Center. “We came out with more of a sense of purpose, put more balls in play and put more pressure on our opponents. To win that match at No. 1 was really a heck of an effort. Arkansas got on us at No. 2, and they saved match points at No. 3, but we stayed with it. It was a nice momentum swing.”
“Christian played a heck of a match today,” Center said. “If he (Redlicki) is not the best player in the country, he is certainly one of the very best. He’s a senior who just won the National Indoors, so that’s a tremendous win for Christian.”
Post-Match Quotes from Arkansas’s recap
“Texas was too good today,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “They are an elite-level team. We can play better and are excited about the work ahead.”
#4 Texas 5, #19 Arkansas 2
Jan 22, 2017 at Fayetteville, Ark (Dills Indoor Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. No. 6 Christian Sigsgaard (UT) def. No. 3 Mike Redlicki (UA), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 1-0 (10-6)
2. No. 19 Jose Salazar (UA) def. George Goldhoff (UT), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5)
3. No. 36 Yuya Ito (UT) def. Adam Sanjurjo (UA), 6-3, 6-3
4. No. 47 Harrison Scott (UT) def. Johan den Toom (UA), 6-2, 6-1
5. Leo Telles (UT) def. Oscar Mesquida (UA), 6-0, 6-3
6. Juan Marino (UA) def. Rodrigo Banzer (UT), 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
2. No. 19 Jose Salazar (UA) def. George Goldhoff (UT), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-5)
3. No. 36 Yuya Ito (UT) def. Adam Sanjurjo (UA), 6-3, 6-3
4. No. 47 Harrison Scott (UT) def. Johan den Toom (UA), 6-2, 6-1
5. Leo Telles (UT) def. Oscar Mesquida (UA), 6-0, 6-3
6. Juan Marino (UA) def. Rodrigo Banzer (UT), 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8)
Doubles competition
1. George Goldhoff/Leo Telles (UT) def. Mike Redlicki/Jose Salazar (UA), 6-4
2. Adam Sanjurjo/Oscar Mesquida (UA) def. Yuya Ito/Julian Zlobinsky (UT), 6-1
3. Christian Sigsgaard/Harrison Scott (UT) def. Johan den Toom/Branch Terrell (UA), 7-5
1. George Goldhoff/Leo Telles (UT) def. Mike Redlicki/Jose Salazar (UA), 6-4
2. Adam Sanjurjo/Oscar Mesquida (UA) def. Yuya Ito/Julian Zlobinsky (UT), 6-1
3. Christian Sigsgaard/Harrison Scott (UT) def. Johan den Toom/Branch Terrell (UA), 7-5
Match Notes
Texas 4-1; National ranking #4
Arkansas 1-2; National ranking #19
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (4,5,3,2,1,6)
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One of the more intriguing matches of the day took place in Orlando as the John Roddick coached Central Florida Golden Knights took on the Bobby Reynolds coached Auburn Tigers. Last year Reynolds was the assistant coach at Oklahoma under Roddick so I’m sure each knew what to expect though they might not have been expecting to start at 9 a.m. (12 p.m. scheduled) but that’s what happened with stormy weather in the forecast. Central Florida picked up a quick 6-1 win at No. 3 but Auburn grabbed No. 1 with a 6-3 win. UCF’s Chris Barrus and Enrique Paya took an early 3-1 lead on what turned out to be the deciding court at No. 2 but Auburn’s Brandon Laubser and Carles Sarrio would come back from 4-2 down to win the final four games to give Auburn the doubles point and the 1-0 lead.
Each team took three first sets in singles but while UCF would finish three of them off in straight sets Auburn could only close out one. UCF had a 3-2 lead and Mariano Porter and Danny Kerznerman had forced third sets at No. 4 and No. 6 so things were looking up for UCF but Auburn’s Edward Nguyen and Brandon Laubser wouldn’t go away. Porter held to start the third set but Nguyen took the next six to tie up the match at 3-3. Laubser opened up a 5-1 lead in the final set at No. 6 and had a match point on the deciding point but Kerznerman broke to make it 5-2. Laubser then had two match points on Kerznerman’s serve but on the deciding point he netted a forehand with a wide open court in front of him. Laubser was still up 5-3 but once again he’d be unable to serve it out with Kerznerman breaking from 15/40 to put it back on serve at 5-4. Kerznerman held from 40/15 to even it at 5-5 but Laubser finally got back on course with a love hold for 6-5. Laubser would then break from 30/40 to finally close it out and give Auburn the 4-3 win.
Post-Match Quotes from Auburn’s recap
“I’m very pleased with how the guys competed today. The conditions were brutal with high winds, but they rose to the occasion and were mentally strong with their shot selections,” Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said of the blustery weather in Orlando at the USTA National Campus courts that moved the match from afternoon to a 9 a.m. start.
Post-Match Quotes from UCF’s recap
“Auburn played a good match and deserved the win today,” said head coach John Roddick. “We need to have a good week of practice and work to get better. We had some very bright spots today, and some areas that we need to clearly get better in.”
Auburn 4, Central Florida 3
January 22, 2017 at Orlando, FL (USTA National Campus Collegiate Center)
Singles Competition
1. Korey Lovett (UCF) def. Max Hinnisdaels (AU) 7-5, 7-6 (3)
2. Carles Sarrio (AU) def. Kalman Boyd (UCF) 6-2, 6-1
3. Harrison Richmond (UCF) def. Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
5. Chris Barrus (UCF) def. Dante Saleh (AU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Danny Kerznerman (UCF) 7-6 (4), 3-6 , 7-5
1. Korey Lovett (UCF) def. Max Hinnisdaels (AU) 7-5, 7-6 (3)
2. Carles Sarrio (AU) def. Kalman Boyd (UCF) 6-2, 6-1
3. Harrison Richmond (UCF) def. Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
5. Chris Barrus (UCF) def. Dante Saleh (AU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Brandon Laubser (AU) def. Danny Kerznerman (UCF) 7-6 (4), 3-6 , 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Max Hinnisdaels/Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) def. Harrison Richmond/Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-3
2. Dante Saleh/Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Korey Lovett/Kalman Boyd (UCF) 6-4
3. Chris Barrus/Enrique Paya (UCF) def. Brandon Laubser/Carles Sarrio (AU) 6-1
1. Max Hinnisdaels/Conner Huertas del Pino (AU) def. Harrison Richmond/Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-3
2. Dante Saleh/Edward Nguyen (AU) def. Korey Lovett/Kalman Boyd (UCF) 6-4
3. Chris Barrus/Enrique Paya (UCF) def. Brandon Laubser/Carles Sarrio (AU) 6-1
Match Notes:
Auburn: 1-0
Central Florida: 3-1
Auburn: 1-0
Central Florida: 3-1
Order of Finish: Doubles: 3,1,2; Singles: 2,5,3,1,4,6
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Other Sunday Men’s Results:
- #15 Kentucky overcame the loss of the doubles point to gut out a tough 5-2 win over Notre Dame. Ryotaro Matsumura won a 3 hour and 3 minute match to clinch the win – 7-6(0) in the third.
- Georgia Tech had its way with Tennessee shutting out the Vols 7-0 – GT won 12 of 13 sets in singles.
- #13 Northwestern held off Louisville 4-2 and rolled IUPUI 7-0.
- #9 North Carolina beat Chattanooga 6-0 and the Citadel 7-0 which made head coach Sam Paul became the winningest coach in program history
- Memphis had one of the more impressive wins of the day when they defeated LSU 6-1.
- Vanderbilt played some exceptional singles in a 6-0 win over Penn and a 4-2 win over Georgia State – Dores won 9 of 10 singles matches in straight sets.
- Old Dominion pushed its record to 5-0 with a 4-0 win at Harvard.
- North Florida went down to Miami and beat the Canes 4-2 with Lasse Muscheites clinching 6-4 in the third at No. 4.
- Rice fought the wind and a tough UT Arlington team but came out on top 4-2 with Eric Rutledge clinching 6-3 in the third at No. 3. UTA was 5-1 in the third in the remaining match which was halted.
- Oregon opened its season with an easy 5-0 win over Montana State but in the second half of the doubleheader they were really challenged by Utah State before pulling it out 4-3.
Notable Women’s Results
- #15 Auburn improved to 3-0 with a 4-1 win over Louisiana-Monroe and a 4-0 win over Georgia State
- #22 Arizona State kicked off its season with a 7-0 win over UC Davis
- #24 Mississippi State won its season opener over UAB 4-0 in a match that was played indoors at MSU’s two-court facility
- Washington improved to 4-0 with a 5-2 win over Illinois in a match played in Tuscaloosa.
- Colorado shut out state rival Colorado State 7-0
- Tennessee improved to 4-0 with a 4-1 win over Wake Forest and a 4-0 win over Chattanooga
- Baylor opened up its season with a pair of 4-0 wins over UTRGV and McNeese State
- Penn State rebounded from a loss to VCU with a 4-3 win over West Virginia
- Columbia won its first match of the year with a 6-1 win over Syracuse – Cuse had to forfeit #3 dubs and #6 singles due to injuries.
- Tulane ran its record to 4-0 with a 6-1 road win at Eastern Kentucky
- Purdue swept a doubleheader over Evansville (7-0) and Xavier (5-2)
Memphis will be a dangerous team this year, not yet ready for Top 16, but will not be an easy out. NW Regional will be a good one with NW/Memphis and Stanford/GaTech.
Impressive wins over Michigan St and LSU.