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TCU Headed to the Elite 8! - TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH – On the hottest May 14th in Fort Worth's recorded history, No. 1 TCU men's tennis (26-4) swept NC State (20-10), 4-0, to advance into the 2022 NCAA Tournament
GoFrogs: TCU Headed to the Elite 8!
FORT WORTH – On the hottest May 14th in Fort Worth's recorded history, No. 1 TCU men's tennis (26-4) swept NC State (20-10), 4-0, to advance into the 2022 NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals for the fifth time in the past seven postseasons. No other program in the nation has reached the Elite 8 more in the past seven postseasons than the Horned Frogs.
TCU will take on No. 8-seeded Kentucky on Thursday, May 19, at 3 p.m. in Champaign Illinois for a spot in the Final Four. This is TCU's 12th all-time Elite 8 appearance.
"I'm really proud of the guys" head coach David Roditi said. "The way they competed in the hottest May 14th that Fort Worth has ever seen, I'm really proud. No. 2 doubles and No. 3 doubles came through in the doubles point, that was a big one. NC State has won a lot of doubles points this season and they were probably really hoping to win that, so coming back from down a break at No. 3 was excellent. In the first sets, we had a lot of chances early and our guys just kept their poise. The way they finished the first and second sets, finding ways to break at 4-4 or 5-5 or even 6-6, just couldn't be prouder of this team. The way Fearnley came back and won, the way Sander closed out his set and the way Fomba closed out his match, I just couldn't be happier for this team. They are the ones suffering in the heat, all we can do is try to get them prepared and nobody does a better job of that than Devin Bowen. Now, here we go, Elite 8 against a team that we haven't played all year, Kentucky. I'm so happy to get this final win in front of our home fans, they have been so great all year. Now we're off to Champaign! Go Frogs!!"
Doubles play was a battle. Sander Jong and Lui Maxted got a break on the very first game at No. 2, holding serve for the rest of the match to give TCU a win, 6-4. Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Aguilar and Pedro Vives suffered a break to go down, 3-5, only to roar back, winning the next four games to win their match, 7-5, clinching the doubles point for the Frogs while No. 1 doubles was beginning their tiebreak.
DOUBLES QUICK HITS
- Jong and Maxted recorded a 6-4 victory at No. 2 doubles, improving their record together to 17-5.
- They are 2-0 this NCAA Tournament, outscoring their opponents 12-6 in completed matches.
- Aguilar and Vives clinched the doubles point at No. 3 doubles, 7-5, winning the final four games to secure the win.
- They improve to 10-3 as a doubles team and 4-0 in postseason tournaments (Big 12 and NCAA Tournament).
- This was the 18th time this season that TCU has won a doubles point without losing a match.
- TCU improves to 54-16 in doubles matches this season.
- TCU has won 25 of 30 doubles points this season (83.3%).
1. #1 Luc Fomba/Jake Fearnley (TCU) vs. #54 Martins Rocens/Fons Van Sambeek (ST) 6-6, unfinished
2. #10 Sander Jong/Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Robin Catry/Yannai Barkai (ST) 6-4
3. Juan Carlos Aguilar/Pedro Vives (TCU) def. Braden Shick/Collin Shick (ST) 7-5
Order of finish: 2, 3
TCU won four opening sets in singles play, with Fomba, Fearnley and Jong each securing breaks while each of their sets were at least seven games in. In the second set, Fearnley erased a 1-4 deficit to win his match just after Jong won the final four games on his court, putting TCU in front, 3-0, while Fomba found a break to go in front, 4-2, holding serve for a 6-4 result.
The Frogs won eight of 11 completed sets today and are now 24-6 in completed sets this NCAA Tournament. They are one of three teams to reach the Elite 8 without dropping a point to their opponents, alongside No. 2-seed Florida and No. 7-see Virginia.
SINGLES QUICK HITS
- Jong secured the first win No. 3 to collect his team-leading 21st victory of the year.
- His 21-4 dual season record is currently the fourth highest winning percentage in program history for a single season.
- This was his third NCAA Tournament singles victory and improves his career record at NCAAs to 8-3 overall. He is 25-9 over his career in National Tournaments (NCAA and ITA Indoors).
- Fearnley improved his 2022 record to 19-5 with his win at No. 4.
- He is now 5-1 in NCAA Tournament singles matches as a Horned Frog.
- Fomba clinched the match at No. 1 singles to bring his 2022 dual singles record to 16-4.
- It was his team-leading 7th singles win in the NCAA Tournament. He is now 7-1 at NCAAs and holds a team-best 28 overall victories in National Tournaments (NCAA and ITA Indoors).
- TCU is 26-4 this season, 12-4 vs. Top 25 teams
- The Horned Frogs are 101-43 in singles matches this dual season.
1. #12 Luc Fomba (TCU) def. #98 Rafa Izquierdo Luque (ST) 6-4, 6-4
2. #16 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TCU) vs. Robin Catry (ST) 6-3, 2-6, 1-1, unfinished
3. #72 Sander Jong (TCU) def. Luca Staeheli (ST) 6-3, 6-3
4. #98 Jake Fearnley (TCU) def. Martins Rocens (ST) 7-5, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Pedro Vives (TCU) vs. Damien Salvestre (ST) 6-7 (3-7), 3-4, unfinished
6. Tomas Jirousek (TCU) vs. Braden Shick (ST) 3-6, 6-2, 1-1, unfinished
Order of finish – 3, 4, 1
Up Next
The Horned Frogs will travel to Champaign, Ill. to compete in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The first match will feature TCU against No. 8-seed Kentucky on Thursday, May 19, at 3 p.m. The semifinal matches will follow on May 21 with the NCAA Championship match scheduled for May 22.
For more information on TCU men's tennis, visit gofrogs.com and follow the team on social media: @TCUMensTennis on twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
