The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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TCU
No. 9 TCU holds off No. 7 Men's Tennis, 4-1
04.22.2017 | Men's Tennis
Longhorns begin postseason play at the Big 12 Championships next Friday in Norman.
FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 7 Texas (19-7, 2-3 Big 12) picked up a singles win from sophomore Rodrigo Banzer, but No. 9 TCU (17-4, 5-0 Big 12) knocked off the Longhorns by a 4-1 count Saturday afternoon at the Horned Frogs' Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
TCU headed into singles play with a 1-0 lead after winning the doubles point with victories at the second and third positions. TCU pushed its lead to 2-0 behind Trevor Johnson's 6-3, 6-3 win over UT junior John Mee at sixth singles. The Horned Frogs assumed a 3-0 lead by way of second-ranked Cameron Norrie's 6-2, 7-5 win over Texas freshman Christian Sigsgaard at first singles.
Banzer cut into the TCU lead with his 6-2, 7-6 (4) win over Reese Stalder at fifth singles. Banzer trailed 6-5 in the second set but forced a tiebreaker, where he ultimately closed out his match.
TCU closed out its 4-1 win with a victory at second singles. The Horned Frogs' 27th-ranked Alex Rybakov took the first set off of UT's 44th-ranked sophomore Harrison Scott, 6-4. Scott led 6-5 in the second set, but Rybakov held serve to force a tiebreaker. Rybakov yielded nothing in the tiebreaker and prevailed 7-0 to close out his win and the team victory for TCU. The remaining courts were suspended.
Texas opens competition next Thursday (April 27) at the Big 12 Championships in Norman, Oklahoma. UT's seed, opponent and start time for the quarterfinals have yet to be determined.
POST-MATCH COMMENTS
Texas head coach Michael Center
TCU was really good today, and it deserved to win the match after going (unbeaten) through conference play. We did a lot of good things and played some better doubles today. At Nos. 1 and 2 singles, TCU is as good or better than anyone in the country right now. I did think our guys did a great job, and overall I saw a lot of good things to take with us.
The next stage of the season begins, and it's time to get ready for postseason play. TCU played well, but I'm really encouraged. I think we're in good shape going into the postseason.
No. 9 TCU 4, No. 7 Texas 1
Doubles – Order of Finish: 2, 3
1 George Goldhoff/Christian Sigsgaard (UT) vs. No. 32 Guillermo Nunez/Alex Rybakov (TCU), 5-4, susp.
2 No. 34 Jerry Lopez/Reese Stalder (TCU) def. Colin Markes/Leonardo Telles (UT), 6-4
3 Cameron Norrie/Trevor Johnson (TCU) def. Rodrigo Banzer/Harrison Scott (UT), 6-4
Singles – Order of Finish: 6, 1, 5, 2
1 No. 2 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. No. 25 Christian Sigsgaard (UT), 6-2, 7-5
2 No. 27 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. No. 44 Harrison Scott (UT), 6-4, 7-6 (0)
3 George Goldhoff (UT) vs. No. 83 Guillermo Nunez (TCU), 4-6, 6-4, 4-1, susp.
4 Leonardo Telles (UT) vs. Jerry Lopez (TCU), 6-7 (5), 5-4, susp.
5 Rodrigo Banzer (UT) def. Reese Stalder (TCU), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
6 Trevor Johnson (TCU) def. John Mee (UT), 6-3, 6-3
Players Mentioned
