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Three Frogs Advance on Day One of ITA Sectionals - TCU Athletics
FORT WORTH – TCU's best took care of business on day one of the ITA Central Sectional Championships on Thursday at the outdoor Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
GoFrogs: Three Frogs Advance on Day One of ITA Sectionals
FORT WORTH – TCU's best took care of business on day one of the ITA Central Sectional Championships on Thursday at the outdoor Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
Pedro Vives and Lui Maxted teamed up on a 6-3, 6-3 doubles defeat of Ohio State's Jack Antrhop and Preston Stearns to reach the quarterfinals of the inaugural event. In singles, Duncan Chan booked his ticket to the round of 16. Chan got the better of his TCU teammate, Julian Alonso, in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Vives and Maxted were awarded the No. 1 seed. The senior duo looked the part, too. They secured a double break in both sets. The TCU pair won four consecutive games to close out set one. Maxted served out the match's final frame, 60-love.
The doubles triumph signified TCU's first win on the purple courts since hoisting the NCAA Championship trophy in May.
Vives and Maxted are now two wins away from advancing to the NCAA Individual Championships. Doubles finalists automatically qualify as does the winner of a third-place match between the remaining semifinalists.
The NCAA Individual Championships run from Nov. 19-24 in Waco and are being held in the fall for the first time ever as a part of a two-year pilot program with the ITA.
Vives and Maxted already qualified in singles after reaching the quarterfinals of September's ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla.
They'll face the nation's No. 3-ranked tandem, Togan Tokac and Giulio Perego, of Texas A&M on Friday.
Chan was awarded a wild card less than 24 hours before play began due to a player withdrawal. The sophomore in turn played arguably his best match in purple and white.
Tied at three games apiece in set one, Chan won six consecutive games and all-but-secured his spot in Friday's second round after assuming a 6-4, 4-0 lead. He broke serve four times.
Chan improved to 8-4 in singles play this fall and moves on to meet Patorn Hanchaikul of Michigan.
Singles semifinalists and two quarterfinal playoff winners advance to Waco.
Alonso, along with fellow sophomores Kaj Quirijns and Filip Apltauer, all received a plus-one match in the consolation draws.
Quirijns and Chan came up short to Texas' All-American pair of Sebastian Gorzny and Pierre-Yves Bailly in doubles, 6-4, 6-2. Alonso and Apltauer fell to Oklahoma's Luis Alvarez and Asahi Harazaki via a 6-2, 6-3 margin.
Doubles matches are slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. Singles play will not begin before 11 a.m.
ITA Central Sectional Championships
Fort Worth, Texas | Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center
Nov. 7-10, 2024
Singles – Main Draw
RD32 – Duncan Chan (TCU) def. Julian Alonso (TCU): 6-4, 6-2
Doubles – Main Draw
RD16 – Lui Maxted / Pedro Vives (TCU) def. Jack Anthrop / Preston Stearns (Ohio State): 6-3, 6-3
RD16 – Luis Alvarez and Asahi Harazaki (OU) def. Julian Alonso / Filip Apltauer (TCU): 6-2. 6-3
RD16 – Pierre-Yves Bailly / Sebastian Gorzny (Texas) def. Duncan Chan / Kaj Quirijns (TCU): 6-4, 6-2
