No. 3 men’s tennis remains undefeated, records eighth win against No. 10 Baylor

The Horned Frogs came out on top for a second straight victory over their Big 12 rival.

Pedro Vives and Luc Bomba congratulate each other on the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center courts Feb. 8, 2022. (Photo courtesy of GoFrogs.com)

By Sophia Allen, Staff Writer, Skiff Page Designer
Published Feb 13, 2023

No. 3 TCU menโ€™s tennis defeated No. 10 Baylor 4-1 on rivalry grounds in Waco, TX. This victory not only marked three ITA-ranked wins in a row, but allowed the team to keep their undefeated winning streak alive with their eighth indoor win.

The 8-0 overall opening record marks the program’s first-ever under head coach David Roditi and the fourth time in program history.ย 

Coming off their win (4-3) against No. 14 University of North Carolina, which marked TCU’s first win over the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill since 1998 and second in all-time records, the Horned Frogs were able to secure the first two points of the match against the Bears. In the end, TCU came out on top 4-1, marking its second straight victory over the green and gold.

DOUBLES

In doubles, the No. 3 position, Sebstain Gornzy and Pedro Vines, found themselves with their third straight win in a row against defenders Luc Koenig and Ethan Muza 6-1.ย 

It wasnโ€™t so easy for the other pairings. In the No. 2 position, Sander Jong and Lui Maxted fell to Tadeas Paroulek and Zsomor Velcz 7-5 after losing their 4-1 lead.ย ย 

It was all on TCUโ€™s top duo Jake Fearnley and Luc Fomba, who were up against the No. 9 ranked pairing of Finn Bass and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi. While things were looking rough for Fearnley and Fomba, who were down 4-1 at the beginning of their play, they were able to fight back to win 7-5 and secure the doubles point for the team. This would be the pairing’s sixth consecutive win in spring play and their twenty-ninth overall win.

SINGLESย 

On the singles courts, Fearnley and Fomba continued their winning streaks into the No. 1 and No. 3 positions, along with Gornzy in the No. 5 position.ย 

Fearnley entered the tilt ranked No. 17 from the latest batch of ITA singles rankings. He faced No. 44 defender Bass again, who would become the highest-ranked opponent any Horned Frog has defeated in 2023. Fearnley won 6-3, 6-1, marking his first-ranked win of 2023 and securing a second point for TCU.ย 

In a duel between the No. 124 and No. 125 singles player, Gornzy was able to win two out of three sets against opponent Mazzuchi 6-2, 6-1.ย 

Fomba, coming off of a No. 49 rank and accomplishment of Big 12 Menโ€™s Tennis Player of the Week, secured his thirteenth undefeated victory, scoring 7-6, 6-3 against Marko Miladinovic.ย 

Jong and Maxted both left their sets unfinished on a draw, while newcomer Jack Pennington, making his debut for TCU, lost 6-3, 6-4.ย 

UP NEXT

After this 10th straight win on the road, TCU ensured an undefeated record going into the ITA Indoor National Championships in Chicago, Illinois on Feb. 17 through Feb. 20. TCU and Baylor have been battling it out on the courts since 1974, and while the teams will definitely meet again during conference play on April 6, itโ€™s entirely possible these two could meet again in the Windy City.