• The KillerFrogs

TCU Men's Tennis - 2020-2021

Jared7

Active Member
Wow, what a win! Did my best to not look (too much) at the results during church. We wrapped with Gray serving 2-4 in the 3rd, just in time for me to see the incredible comeback. Tell me that's not divine providence.

I know Jong lost today but our top 3 takes a back seat to no one. We had some disappointing near misses but we are so close. Win a few more doubles points, get healthy at the bottom of the order, and I'll take our chances against anyone.
It's not divine providence.;)
 

Longfrog

Active Member
Here's a summary of results over the weekend (*=3 sets). I think this makes it clear that our issues are at #5 & #6 singles and doubles. Combined we won 2 out of 9 of those points over the three matches. This is why I'm still really optimistic, but it all hinges on Fearnley. He's a pretty good doubles player and if we want to play him at #5, he'll win a ton of matches down there.

Gray
L* / W* / W*
Fomba W* / W / W
Jong L*/ W / L*
Jirousek W / L / W
Paroulek L / -- / L
Martin L* / L / W*
Kurzban -- / L / --
Doubles W / L / L

Also, while some of our guys may be marginally better indoors than outdoors, I don't think it's a giant swing for anyone with the possible exception of Fomba. Jirousek, Paroulek, and Martin seem clearly better suited for outdoor play.
 
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jake102

Active Member
Here's a summary of results over the weekend (*=3 sets). I think this makes it clear that our issues are at #5 & #6 singles and doubles. Combined we won 2 out of 9 of those points over the three matches. This is why I'm still really optimistic, but it all hinges on Fearnley. He's a pretty good doubles player and if we want to play him at #5, he'll win a ton of matches down there.

Gray
L* / W* / W*
Fomba W* / W / W
Jong L*/ W / L*
Jirousek W / L / W
Paroulek L / -- / L
Martin L* / L / W*
Kurzban -- / L / --
Doubles W / L / L

Also, while some of our guys may be marginally better indoors than outdoors, I don't think it's a giant swing for anyone with the possible exception of Fomba. Jirousek, Paroulek, and Martin seem clearly better suited for outdoor play.

Great breakdown. Issue is definitely at bottom of order currently, which completely contradicts what I posted recently about our team not being top heavy. Bad take
 

Longfrog

Active Member
Great breakdown. Issue is definitely at bottom of order currently, which completely contradicts what I posted recently about our team not being top heavy. Bad take

I had your view coming into the season. Gray, Fomba and Jong were all solid a year ago, but it seems like they've leveled up. Jong has lost a few close ones but looks like a really good #3. He had a nice result in January that may have escaped notice since it was in a tune-up with A&M, when he beat Hady Habib who is ranked in the top 20 in the country.

Getting two wins out of Jirousek was also encouraging. Hopefully he can be a reliable W at #4. And Martin is a serviceable #7, but you'd certainly like to think that Paroulek is a better option.

Unfortunately Paroulek is a mess. Maybe moving outdoors snaps him out of his funk. And I guess you have to say that if the coaches opted for Kurzban over Kruger this weekend, then Bertus probably isn't in the mix any time soon. So we're thinner than I would have hoped down at the bottom.
 

Pharm Frog

Full Member
Admittedly not a fan of tennis by any stretch of the imagination but I love cool sports moments and this certainly qualifies. Well done fellas!

The ebbs and flows of momentum in this brand of tennis comes close to what I used to enjoy with side-out scoring volleyball. Things could be a virtual stalemate for four or five rotations and then someone blisters one down the line off the right side and the next thing you know the momentum is completely with that team and you think they are gonna run away with it. Then they net one on a serve and the momentum switches just like that. When I was announcing volleyball you could feel the momentum flips. Same feeling I get when watching these tennis duals.
 

Jared7

Active Member
I still haven't come down from the Frogs thrilling W over #1 USC earlier today - that cross court lob winner for the match by Gray after he had fought back from love-4 and down 2 breaks to take the match 4-3 over the nation's #1 ranked player and team was just about as epic as one could possibly imagine - I don't think I've ever been more thrilled by the Frog tennis team. Rybo's clincher against A&M a few years back would be close - can anyone think of a better moment? All I could say at the time was WOW and that's all I'm thinking now. And that audible gasp by Grushkin et. al. on the stream was also an epic call. I'm just amazed!

Meanwhile, the championship between UNC and Baylor is well under way - the Heels took the doubles point and 4 first sets, but it's not over yet. Assuming Carolina wins, they're #1 without question and Baylor is probably #2 (although we beat them in Waco). USC will undoubtedly fall to 8th or so; I'm thinking we're in the 5-7 range because Virginia and Tennessee should certainly pass us. But you never know - our W over Baylor is looking better and better. (Uh, I should be rooting for Baylor here, but somehow, I'm just not feeling it...).

Baylor-UNC 1-1 now. Tennessee beat Texas 4-2 and Illinois beat Virginia 4-3. So, the Cavaliers and Longhorns finished 1-2 like TCU, Illinois and Tennessee finished 2-1, with Baylor-UNC TBD.
 
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Jared7

Active Member
UNC takes it 4-1, w/ W's from Blumberg, Cernoch and Sigouin (and the doubles point) and the L from Peck (to Baylor's Broom). Congrats to the Heels!
 

Longfrog

Active Member
UNC takes it 4-1

Good result. Baylor loses but not by so much that you come away scared of UNC. I'm excited for the outdoor season but can't help feeling like we let a massive opportunity get away. I really can't think of a year where we had a better opportunity to win this tournament. We've had better teams, but the competition was wide open this year.
 

Jared7

Active Member
Good result. Baylor loses but not by so much that you come away scared of UNC. I'm excited for the outdoor season but can't help feeling like we let a massive opportunity get away. I really can't think of a year where we had a better opportunity to win this tournament. We've had better teams, but the competition was wide open this year.
Well, we didn't get it done this weekend. Even though we could have. But we're still one of the top teams and our margin over Baylor was the same as the Tarheels'. If we ever get Kruger and Fearnley back to 100%, we'll be improved and we might see them later. And we should improve over the season in any event by moving outdoors and because Roditi's m.o. is to get better as the season goes along. Getting to play the Trojans, Wahoos and the Vols was good for us and we've still got Stanford (who opted out), Florida, A&M, USC as well as the entire Big12 ahead. I like our chances for the Big12 and beyond.
 

Longfrog

Active Member
Wanna get this one in before I forget, or before Jared beats me to it. On Friday we play Tyler Junior College. They're a perennial power in the Juco ranks but shouldn't threaten us. Normally a match against them would be pretty unremarkable, but this one has an intriguing subplot. TJC got the nation's #2 ranked U.S. recruit this year. How on earth did that happen? It may have something to do with the fact that the player received a 1-year suspension from the USTA for consistent verbal abuse of his opponents, which is the longest suspension the USTA has ever dished out. (Later reduced to 6 months.)

I've deliberately saved his name til now. It's Ca$h Hanzlik. And yes, that is exactly as it appears on the birth certificate.

I wondered if perhaps the decision to schedule TJC was for the chance to get a look at him. But apparently he just gave a verbal commitment to Arizona State for next year. But ya never know... I don't think the commitments are binding at this point. Reports are that he was suitably chastened by the suspension and his behavior has improved. He played #4 singles in their first match, which seems strange. He won quite easily, so no telling if he'll play there vs. us or not.
 
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