TCU
#8 Texas A&M
Rybakov Powers TCU Past Aggies
3/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
FORT WORTH, Texas - On the final court in front of the largest crowd of the season, sophomore Alex Rybakov won in the decisive third set to give the No. 19 TCU men's tennis team the upset 4-3 victory over No. 8 Texas A&M on Monday night at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
The No. 27 ranked singles player, Rybakov started a comeback against No. 116 AJ Catanzariti after dropping the opening set by scoring a 7-5 victory in the second set. Rybakov took a 4-2 lead into the final set before holding serve and then breaking Catanzariti to take the final set 6-2 and the win for the Horned Frogs (11-4).
The Aggies (14-4) entered Monday on a 13-match winning streak, but TCU got the first point right out of the gate with two easy wins in doubles. Cameron Norrie and Jerry Lopez cruised to a 6-1 victory at the top spot, before Reese Stalder and Hudson Blake secured the point with a 6-4 win on court two. Texas A&M did not back down as they took four first sets to start singles and won the bottom two courts in the lineup. No. 3 Norrie put the second point on the board as he got win No. 9 over a ranked opponent with a 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 12 Arthur Rinderknech. No. 81 Lopez secured the third point as he battled his way to a three-set win on court four before Rybakov finished out the match on court two.
Quotes from the Match
Head Coach David Roditi
"Tonight was a great match. I hope a lot of people got to see it on our new live stream if they were not here. We had a great crowd and it was a beautiful day. This match had two really good college teams and all the drama. We won the doubles point and then they were all over us in singles and won a lot of first sets. There was a lot of entertainment value tonight and the quality of tennis was superb especially in the doubles. I was watching at No. 3 doubles and thinking that these guys were playing really well.
"It was great that we won the doubles point. We knew that would be a huge point. Our players did a great job in singles at spots one through four and at six I thought Trey (Daniel) played very well. I would say that Hady (Habib) is the best No. 6 player in the nation right now. We knew that would be a tough point, but I am proud of the way Trey played and the way he fought.
"There is still improvement which is the beauty about this because we can still do better and there are still some things that I wasn't happy with. We have to continue to get better because it is only going to get tougher and tougher. I am really thankful for all the people that came out and I am sure they absolutely loved the match. Anytime a match comes down to (Alex) Rybakov, he is so professional and I love the way he handles himself all the time. When it comes down to him, I know it is just pure, good tennis."
Match Results
Texas A&M vs TCU
Mar 27, 2017 at Fort Worth, Texas
(Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
#19 TCU 4, #8 Texas A&M 3
Singles competition
1. #3 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. #12 Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 7-5, 6-4
2. #27 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #116 AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. #119 Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. #78 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
4. #81 Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) 7-5, 5-7, 6-4
5. Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) def. Reese Stalder (TCU) 7-5, 6-0
6. Hady Habib (TAMU) def. Trey Daniel (TCU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
Doubles competition
1. Cameron Norrie/Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Arthur Rinderknech/AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) 6-1
2. Reese Stalder/Hudson Blake (TCU) def. Valentin Vacherot/Aleksandre Bakshi (TAMU) 6-4
3. #21 Guillermo Nuñez/Alex Rybakov (TCU) vs. Hady Habib/Jordi Arconada (TAMU) 5-4, unfinished
Match Notes:
Texas A&M 14-4; National ranking #8
TCU 11-4; National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,1,6,3,4,2)
T-3:12 A-961
Up Next
TCU will start Big 12 Conference action by hitting the road to face Oklahoma State on March 31 at 5 p.m., in Stillwater before traveling to Norman to take on Oklahoma on April 2 at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
