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Preview: NCAA Elite 8: vs. Kentucky - TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH -- No. 1 TCU men's tennis (26-4) is off to Champaign, Ill. to participate in its fifth NCAA Quarterfinals in the last seven postseasons, the most in the
Preview: NCAA Elite 8: vs. Kentucky
FORT WORTH -- No. 1 TCU men's tennis (26-4) is off to Champaign, Ill. to participate in its fifth NCAA Quarterfinals in the last seven postseasons, the most in the nation. The Horned Frogs are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament and will take on No. 8-seeded Kentucky (24-7) on Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex – South Courts.FOLLOW ALONG
Live Stats
Live Stream via TennisONE App
NCAA Tournament Bracket
NCAA Tournament Central
FROG FOCUS
The Horned Frogs are making their 32nd all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first as the No. 1 overall seed. TCU defeated Drake and Utah in the regional round, before taking down NC-State in the NCAA Super Regional, all via 4-0 sweeps. This is the second time in program history TCU has won its first three NCAA Tournament matches via sweep (also 2015). TCU has never earned four consecutive sweeps in this tournament.
The Horned Frogs have advanced to the quarterfinals for the 12th time in program history, hoping to achieve their fifth NCAA Final Four berth. TCU has reached the national semifinals four times: 1989, 1996, 2001 and 2015, hoping to advance past the Final Four for the first time in program history this season.
The Horned Frogs are 20-6 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches under Head Coach David Roditi. TCU's eight players enter this weekend with a combined 24-5 record in NCAA Tournament singles matches and are a perfect 9-0 already, this year. In doubles play, the Horned Frogs are 6-0 this tournament with a combined record of 30-10 in NCAA Tournament doubles matches.
Freshman Pedro Vives and junior Sander Jong lead all Horned Frogs with four overall victories to this point in the NCAA Tournament. Vives and his doubles partner, Juan Carlos Aguilar, are the only TCU pairing to have won all three of their matches this tournament, beating their opponents by a combined score of 19-9.
TCU has won 24 of 30 completed singles sets this NCAA Tournament and are one of three teams in the field to have not surrendered a point to any of their opponents to date (also Florida and Virginia).
The Frogs are undefeated away from the purple courts this season, posting a 7-0 record in true road matches and a 4-0 record at neutral sites. All four neutral site victories came at the ITA Indoor National Championships when TCU delivered its first-ever National Championship.
The Horned Frogs are looking to join an elite group of teams that have won both indoor and outdoor national titles in the same season. The last to accomplish this was Wake Forrest in 2018, also Virginia (2017 & 2013), USC (2012), Georgia (2007), Illinois (2003) and Stanford (2000), this century.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Kentucky earned its spot in Champaign with a 4-2 victory over No. 9-seeded Wake Forrest after winning their regional over DePaul (4-0) and Northwestern (4-2). This is their fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA Elite 8 and their first since 2011. The Wildcats rose to the top of a very competitive SEC throughout outdoor season, posting a 10-2 record and falling to Florida in the SEC Championship match. Their only losses in SEC play came at the hands of No. 2-seeded Florida (twice) and then-No. 10 South Carolina, while beating No. 5 Tennessee and No. 10 Georgia.
RANKED PLAYERS
Singles
No. 4 Liam Draxl (Kentucky)
No. 12 Luc Fomba (TCU)
No. 18 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TCU)
No. 21 Gabriel Diallo (Kentucky)
No. 72 Sander Jong (TCU)
No. 83 Millen Hurrion (Kentucky)
No. 92 Jake Fearnley (TCU)
No. 104 Lui Maxted (TCU)
No. 113 Joshua Lapadat (Kentucky)
Doubles
No. 1 Luc Fomba / Jake Fearnley (TCU)
No. 10 Lui Maxted / Sander Jong (TCU)
No. 11 Lui Maxted / Pedro Vives (TCU)
No. 55 Francois Musitelli / Millen Hurrion (Kentucky)
No. 60 Liam Draxl / Millen Hurrion (Kentucky)
For more information on TCU men's tennis, visit gofrogs.com and follow the team on social media: @TCUMensTennis on twitter, Facebook and the all new men's tennis Instagram.
