The No. 23 TCU women’s tennis team fell 0-7 to No. 30 SMU during their first home game at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center indoor facility on Wednesday.
“We fought really hard all of the way but were ultimately outclassed,” TCU head coach Jefferson Hammond said. “Every single player gave their best but sometimes the best is not enough. We will definitely train harder for the next game.”
TCU lost the lead 0-1 to SMU after failing the claim the doubles point. Sophomore Gaby Mastromarino and junior Idunn Hertzberg lost 1-8 to SMU’s Pavi Francis and Edyta Cieplucha. TCU senior Nina Munch-Soegaard and sophomore Kayla Duncan lost 3-8 to the Mustang’s Katerina Vankova and Aleksandra Malyarchikova.
TCU came out fighting in singles action, but only the first set on all four courts. The Mustangs forced the team score to 0-2 after TCU junior Maria Babanova battled only to fall in straight sets to Cieplucha, 6-3, 6-0. SMU’s Vankova followed by beating junior Horned Frog Katariina Tuohimaa 6-3, 6-2.
With the team score at 0-3 in favor of SMU, Munch-Soegaard forced her match with No. 47 Marta Lesniak into a third set tie-breaker, only to fall short in the match, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1. No. 67 Kayla Duncan would soon lose her match to No. 76 Malyarchikova.
With the Frogs down 0-5, Hertzberg attempted to gain the advantage but lost to Shahzoda Hatamova. After dropping the first set, the Norwegian native continued with a loss, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.
“Kayla and Idunn fought out a pair of three-set matches with good effort tonight,” Hammond said. “Both matches could have gone either way and they just ended disadvantaged.”
As Babanova dropped her match, Mastromarino was heading into her first set with Francis on the final court. With the weight of an unanswered match on her shoulders, the sophomore from Tequesta, Fla., scored a 6-2 victory, only to have the rest of the match cancelled due to the 0-6 score.
“This was a huge loss for us,” Mastromarino said. “After the wins last month, I really thought a win this week was deserved. I felt like we all gave it our all tonight and we will improve as the season continues.”
TCU will continue the home schedule on Sunday, hosting Arkansas in Fort Worth. First serve is scheduled for Noon.