Friday, May 19
Orlando, FL
11:30 AM
TCU
vs
Michigan
Preview: No. 2 TCU Primed for NCAA D1 Men's Tennis Championship
5/17/2023 2:37:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Horned Frogs face No. 7 Michigan at approximately 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday
ORLANDO, Fla. – In what has become a near-annual occurrence, TCU is again in contention for the NCAA D1 Men's Tennis Championship as the 2023 campaign enters its final weekend.
The No. 2 ranked Horned Frogs (25-2) are set to dual No. 7 Michigan (27-4) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament around 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
TCU is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the eight-team NCAA Men's D1 Tennis Championship tournament and sixth over the last eight seasons, dating back to 2015. No program nationwide has notched more quarterfinal berths than TCU in that span.
The Horned Frogs will face either No. 3 Ohio State (32-2) or No. 6 Georgia (23-6) in the semifinals on Friday with a defeat of the Wolverines. Comprising the corresponding half of the bracket are No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 5 Virginia and No. 9 South Carolina.
Thursday's tilt represents TCU's 13th NCAA quarterfinal match in its 49-year history. The Horned Frogs advanced past the quarterfinals in five of their 12 previous NCAA Championship appearances (1989, 1995, 1996, 2001 2015).
TCU came one point shy of playing for its first-ever NCAA Championship in its most recent semifinal appearance. The Horned Frogs suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 semifinal defeat to top-seeded Oklahoma in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Frog fans following along from afar can watch Thursday's match for free via PlaySight on the USTA National Campus website or in conjunction with a Cracked Racquets cross court cast. Cracked Racquets' coverage will continue through the semifinals and final. Semifinal matches and Saturday's grand finale will also air on the Tennis Channel.
NCAA Tournament History
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 33
NCAA Championship Quarterfinals: 13
NCAA Championship Semifinals: 4
NCAA Third Round Appearances (since 1997): 11
All-Time NCAA Tournament Record: 49-32
NCAA Tournament Home Record: 23-1
NCAA Tournament First Round Record: 27-11
NCAA Regionals Record: 25-10
NCAA Third Round Record: 10-6
NCAA Super Regional Record: 3-0
NCAA Quarterfinal Record: 5-7
NCAA Semifinal Record: 0-5
NCAA Tournament Record Since 2015: 21-7
Last 10 NCAA Tournament Matches: 7-3
Frog Focus
Across the Rankings
ITA Team Rankings (May 4)
No. 2 – TCU
ITA Singles Rankings (May 4)
No. 17 – Luc Fomba
No. 21 – Jake Fearnley
No. 62 – Sander Jong
No. 71 – Jack Pinnington
No. 92 – Sebastian Gorzny
ITA Doubles Rankings (May 4)
No. 2 – Jake Fearnley / Luc Fomba
No. 22 – Sander Jong / Lui Maxted
No. 84 – Sander Jong / Jack Pinnington
Doubles Quick Hits
Overall Doubles Record: 47-12
No. 1 Doubles Record: 13-5
No. 2 Doubles Record: 16-6
No. 3 Doubles Record: 20-1
When Winning the Doubles Point: 24-1
When Losing the Doubles Point: 1-1
Singles Quick Hits
Overall Singles Record: .92-19
No. 1 Singles Record: 16-6
No. 2 Singles Record: 12-4
No. 3 Singles Record: 16-3
No. 4 Singles Record: 16-1
No. 5 Singles record: 17-2
No. 6 Singles record: 15-3
Extended Stays in the Sunshine State
TCU's ultimate goal remains the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Team Championship, but should the Horned Frogs fall short in the Big Dance, the program will still be well-represented at the national championships.
The Horned Frogs had four singles players and two doubles teams selected to compete at the NCAA Individual Singles and Doubles Championships.
Luc Fomba and Jake Fearnley received the No. 2 seed in the 32-pair doubles bracket. Both players also garnered at-large berths to the 64-player singles field. TCU's No. 22-ranked doubles pair of Sander Jong and Lui Maxted were awarded an at-large bid into the doubles tournament. Additionally, Jong and Jack Pinnington were named two of 10 alternates for the singles championship should there be withdrawals.
By earning seeded positioning, both Fomba and Fearnley achieved automatic ITA All-American status in doubles for 2023.
Fists Up for a Shutout
Opponents have failed to take a point from TCU in 52 percent of the Horned Frogs' duals in 2023. TCU has pitched 14 shutouts across 27 matches. TCU has blanked opponents in nine of its 13 outdoor affairs, including a trio of 7-0 sweeps at the expense of UT Arlington, UCLA and USC. TCU has been perfect at home on five occasions. Four opponents (SMU, UCLA, Texas A&M, UT Arlington x2) were unable to win a set on the purple courts. Seven of the shutouts came against NCAA Tournament participants, all of whom cracked the top-50 of the final ITA regular season team rankings.
The Horned Frogs have thrice blanked a top-10 foe, downing then-No. 10 Baylor and then-No. 6 Texas 4-0 at Indoor Nationals and shelling then-No. 10 USC 7-0 on March 24. TCU began Big 12 play with a trio of 4-0 decisions against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor from March 31-Apr. 6. TCU claimed 11-of-12 completed sets in all three contests. The Horned Frogs have registered three outdoor postseason shutouts. TCU walloped No. 47 Oklahoma State 4-0 on Apr. 22 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship, then pitched consecutive perfect 4-0 performances in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament vs. UTA and No. 19 Texas A&M.
The Longest Streak of ITA Top-10 Rankings Nationwide
TCU is the only program in the country that has finished in the top-10 of the final ITA team rankings for eight consecutive seasons. Three years, two months and one week have passed since TCU dropped out of the top-10 of the ITA team rankings. In fact, the Horned Frogs are enjoying the longest consecutive streak of weeks ranked in the top-10 of any Division I program. TCU has boasted a top-10 ITA team ranking for 169 consecutive weeks, dating back to March 10, 2020.
Here's to Five More
As of Thursday, May 18, five years and two months have passed since TCU last dipped outside the top-25 of the ITA team rankings. The Horned Frogs have spent 272 straight weeks in the top-25 of the ITA team rankings, a streak matched by few other Division I programs.
The streak began on March 21, 2018, when TCU skyrocketed from No. 32 to No. 11 following three straight wins over No. 17 Duke (March 13), No. 12 Florida (March 14) and No. 9 Columbia (March 18)
The trio of top-20 wins ignited a 12-match winning streak to close the regular season. The Horned Frogs concluded the 2016-17 season with a 20-5 overall record and No. 9 final ITA team ranking.
Since then, TCU has spent just one week outside the top-20 of the ITA team rankings
The Best Boss in Big 12 History
David Roditi now stands alone amongst his Big 12 head coaching peers.
Roditi was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the fifth time since 2015 on Apr. 28. His five selections are the most received by any Big 12 head coach since the conference's inception in 1997.
In addition to ranking first on the Big 12 record book in career Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades, Roditi is the only head coach to win the award five times in an eight-year period. He claimed the honor in three consecutive seasons from 2015-2017 and received the recognition in 2022.
The No. 2 ranked Horned Frogs (25-2) are set to dual No. 7 Michigan (27-4) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament around 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.
TCU is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the eight-team NCAA Men's D1 Tennis Championship tournament and sixth over the last eight seasons, dating back to 2015. No program nationwide has notched more quarterfinal berths than TCU in that span.
The Horned Frogs will face either No. 3 Ohio State (32-2) or No. 6 Georgia (23-6) in the semifinals on Friday with a defeat of the Wolverines. Comprising the corresponding half of the bracket are No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 5 Virginia and No. 9 South Carolina.
Thursday's tilt represents TCU's 13th NCAA quarterfinal match in its 49-year history. The Horned Frogs advanced past the quarterfinals in five of their 12 previous NCAA Championship appearances (1989, 1995, 1996, 2001 2015).
TCU came one point shy of playing for its first-ever NCAA Championship in its most recent semifinal appearance. The Horned Frogs suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 semifinal defeat to top-seeded Oklahoma in the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Frog fans following along from afar can watch Thursday's match for free via PlaySight on the USTA National Campus website or in conjunction with a Cracked Racquets cross court cast. Cracked Racquets' coverage will continue through the semifinals and final. Semifinal matches and Saturday's grand finale will also air on the Tennis Channel.
NCAA Tournament History
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 33
NCAA Championship Quarterfinals: 13
NCAA Championship Semifinals: 4
NCAA Third Round Appearances (since 1997): 11
All-Time NCAA Tournament Record: 49-32
NCAA Tournament Home Record: 23-1
NCAA Tournament First Round Record: 27-11
NCAA Regionals Record: 25-10
NCAA Third Round Record: 10-6
NCAA Super Regional Record: 3-0
NCAA Quarterfinal Record: 5-7
NCAA Semifinal Record: 0-5
NCAA Tournament Record Since 2015: 21-7
Last 10 NCAA Tournament Matches: 7-3
Frog Focus
- TCU is 4-2 vs. NCAA Championship participants this spring. The Horned Frogs defeated No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Kentucky and No. 6 Georgia during their march to a second straight ITA Indoor National Championship title. TCU knocked off Texas once more on Apr. 23 to win the Big 12 tournament championship. Texas remains the lone team to defeat TCU.
- The Horned Frogs are outscoring opponents 119-22 through 27 matches. TCU has notched 17 victories over ranked teams by a combined 79-11 margin of victory. Only three teams - Texas, Kentucky and North Carolina - have scored multiple points vs. TCU.
- The Horned Frogs have claimed the doubles point in 28 of their last 30 outings dating back to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. TCU enjoyed a nation-leading and program record streak of 18 straight doubles points from May 5, 2022-March 19, 2023. TCU is 50-7 in doubles play over the last two seasons.
- Building an early lead in doubles has been a near-certain pathway to victory. TCU has won 22-of-23 matches when claiming the first completed doubles set. The Horned Frogs have trailed in doubles just three times in 2023 (vs. No. 2 Kentucky, vs. No. 19 Illinois, vs. No. 3 Texas).
- Sebastian Gorzny and Pedro Vives lead TCU in doubles victories in 2022-2023 behind a 20-5 overall record. The underclassmen duo is 3-0 in NCAA Tournament action and 6-0 in postseason play. Jake Fearnley leads TCU with five combined NCAA Tournament wins (three singles, two doubles).
- In singles action, TCU has won 224-of-293 (.765) completed sets thus far in 2023. The Horned Frogs boast winning records in singles play vs. every opponent on their schedule. Texas is the one program who has proven capable of competing with TCU. The Horned Frogs are 28-55 (.509) vs. the Longhorns in completed singles sets. Excluding the teams' quartet of duals, TCU has come out on top in 194-232 (.836) completed singles sets.
- Fearnley leads TCU in singles victories in 2022-2023 with a 25-8 overall record. He is 5-0 combined in the NCAA Tournament.
- David Roditi enters Thursday's showdown vs. Michigan with 249 career head coaching victories. Should TCU emerge victorious, Roditi, a three-time All-American for the Horned Frogs from 1993-1996, will join his own head coach, the legendary Tut Bartzen, as one of only two coaches to reach 250 career victories.
- The Horned Frogs were awarded the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, marking the third straight season the program has received a national seed. TCU claimed the No. 1 overall seed in 2022 and was seeded seventh in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
- TCU's streak of eight consecutive postseason appearances is the second-longest in program history, trailing only the program's run of 16 straight NCAA Tournament selections from 1991-2006.
- TCU is 3-3 all-time vs. Michigan.
- Thursday's tilt marks the second meeting in as many years between the Horned Frogs and Wolverines. Michigan defeated TCU 4-1 on March 2, 2022, in Fort Worth. The Wolverines were one of just three teams to knock off the Horned Frogs last season. Jake Fearnley, TCU's top singles and doubles player this season, recorded the Horned Frogs' lone point in the dual with a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Gavin Young on court five.
Across the Rankings
ITA Team Rankings (May 4)
No. 2 – TCU
ITA Singles Rankings (May 4)
No. 17 – Luc Fomba
No. 21 – Jake Fearnley
No. 62 – Sander Jong
No. 71 – Jack Pinnington
No. 92 – Sebastian Gorzny
ITA Doubles Rankings (May 4)
No. 2 – Jake Fearnley / Luc Fomba
No. 22 – Sander Jong / Lui Maxted
No. 84 – Sander Jong / Jack Pinnington
Doubles Quick Hits
Overall Doubles Record: 47-12
No. 1 Doubles Record: 13-5
No. 2 Doubles Record: 16-6
No. 3 Doubles Record: 20-1
When Winning the Doubles Point: 24-1
When Losing the Doubles Point: 1-1
Singles Quick Hits
Overall Singles Record: .92-19
No. 1 Singles Record: 16-6
No. 2 Singles Record: 12-4
No. 3 Singles Record: 16-3
No. 4 Singles Record: 16-1
No. 5 Singles record: 17-2
No. 6 Singles record: 15-3
Extended Stays in the Sunshine State
TCU's ultimate goal remains the NCAA Division I Men's Tennis Team Championship, but should the Horned Frogs fall short in the Big Dance, the program will still be well-represented at the national championships.
The Horned Frogs had four singles players and two doubles teams selected to compete at the NCAA Individual Singles and Doubles Championships.
Luc Fomba and Jake Fearnley received the No. 2 seed in the 32-pair doubles bracket. Both players also garnered at-large berths to the 64-player singles field. TCU's No. 22-ranked doubles pair of Sander Jong and Lui Maxted were awarded an at-large bid into the doubles tournament. Additionally, Jong and Jack Pinnington were named two of 10 alternates for the singles championship should there be withdrawals.
By earning seeded positioning, both Fomba and Fearnley achieved automatic ITA All-American status in doubles for 2023.
Fists Up for a Shutout
Opponents have failed to take a point from TCU in 52 percent of the Horned Frogs' duals in 2023. TCU has pitched 14 shutouts across 27 matches. TCU has blanked opponents in nine of its 13 outdoor affairs, including a trio of 7-0 sweeps at the expense of UT Arlington, UCLA and USC. TCU has been perfect at home on five occasions. Four opponents (SMU, UCLA, Texas A&M, UT Arlington x2) were unable to win a set on the purple courts. Seven of the shutouts came against NCAA Tournament participants, all of whom cracked the top-50 of the final ITA regular season team rankings.
The Horned Frogs have thrice blanked a top-10 foe, downing then-No. 10 Baylor and then-No. 6 Texas 4-0 at Indoor Nationals and shelling then-No. 10 USC 7-0 on March 24. TCU began Big 12 play with a trio of 4-0 decisions against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Baylor from March 31-Apr. 6. TCU claimed 11-of-12 completed sets in all three contests. The Horned Frogs have registered three outdoor postseason shutouts. TCU walloped No. 47 Oklahoma State 4-0 on Apr. 22 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship, then pitched consecutive perfect 4-0 performances in the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament vs. UTA and No. 19 Texas A&M.
The Longest Streak of ITA Top-10 Rankings Nationwide
TCU is the only program in the country that has finished in the top-10 of the final ITA team rankings for eight consecutive seasons. Three years, two months and one week have passed since TCU dropped out of the top-10 of the ITA team rankings. In fact, the Horned Frogs are enjoying the longest consecutive streak of weeks ranked in the top-10 of any Division I program. TCU has boasted a top-10 ITA team ranking for 169 consecutive weeks, dating back to March 10, 2020.
Here's to Five More
As of Thursday, May 18, five years and two months have passed since TCU last dipped outside the top-25 of the ITA team rankings. The Horned Frogs have spent 272 straight weeks in the top-25 of the ITA team rankings, a streak matched by few other Division I programs.
The streak began on March 21, 2018, when TCU skyrocketed from No. 32 to No. 11 following three straight wins over No. 17 Duke (March 13), No. 12 Florida (March 14) and No. 9 Columbia (March 18)
The trio of top-20 wins ignited a 12-match winning streak to close the regular season. The Horned Frogs concluded the 2016-17 season with a 20-5 overall record and No. 9 final ITA team ranking.
Since then, TCU has spent just one week outside the top-20 of the ITA team rankings
The Best Boss in Big 12 History
David Roditi now stands alone amongst his Big 12 head coaching peers.
Roditi was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the fifth time since 2015 on Apr. 28. His five selections are the most received by any Big 12 head coach since the conference's inception in 1997.
In addition to ranking first on the Big 12 record book in career Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades, Roditi is the only head coach to win the award five times in an eight-year period. He claimed the honor in three consecutive seasons from 2015-2017 and received the recognition in 2022.
Players Mentioned
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