After winning two conference matches in a row, the TCU men’s tennis team (9-12) will face Metroplex rival No. 61 SMU (16-6) Wednesday evening at home.
The Frogs hold a record of 25-28 versus the Mustangs in series history. The two teams last met in April 2010 at SMU, which ended in a 4-3 Mustang victory.
“We don’t like each other too much,” head coach David Roditi said. “It’s a little rivalry between Fort Worth and Dallas, and we expect a lot of people to come out.”
SMU has won 13 of its last 14 matches, losing only to No. 23 Notre Dame on the road earlier this month. The last win for the Mustangs came Monday versus UC-Santa Barbara by a score of 4-3.
Leading the Mustangs with only three singles losses on the season is No. 39-ranked Artem Baradach. Baradach is also part of the No. 68 doubles pairing with teammate Gaston Cuadranti.
Regardless of SMU’s successful season, the Horned Frogs enter the mid-week match with a positive attitude after their recent 5-2 victory over New Mexico.
The Frogs finished strong in singles play against the Lobos, winning five of six singles matches. TCU’s doubles teams struggled, only winning one out of three doubles matchups.
TCU’s No. 34 senior team of Emanuel Brighiu and Christopher Price suffered a doubles defeat against New Mexico but Brighiu said he is still excited about the team’s win.
“It feels good to go with the win into playing SMU; I think we have a good chance of beating them,” Brighiu said. “They’re a good team, but keeping our focus and taking care of what we can control on the court is a key factor of our games.”
Price has won seven consecutive singles matches and is unbeaten in the Mountain West Conference with a record of 5-0 in conference play.
A live band will provide entertainment prior to the game, and Salsa Limon will provide free tacos to those in attendance of this evening’s match.
Up Next
The Horned Frogs’ match against SMU marks the second-to-last home match of the season. The last home match is at noon Sunday versus No. 52 UNLV and is also the last regular season match. TCU will then travel to Fort Collins, Colo., for the Mountain West Conference Championships on April 27-30, followed by the NCAA Championships beginning May 13.
Staff reporter Emily Agee contributed to this article.
TCU vs. SMU
When: 6 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center
