|
Men’s
tennis rebounds against Kansas The TCU men’s tennis team made a few changes Saturday, but the result remained the same.The No. 4 Frogs bounced back from a 4-3 loss to No. 8 Southern Methodist with a solid, 5-3, victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. TCU got bounce-back performances from two of its top singles players, as well as a lift in doubles. Senior Esteban Carril and sophomore Toni Gordon both ended personal two-match losing streaks with victories. Head coach Joey Rive, who recorded his 50th career victory Saturday, said it was important for the team to play well heading into the Western Athletic Conference Championships, which begin Friday.
“We were solid as a team,” Rive said. “It was good to see Toni and Esteban get back on track. Every win is very important.” Carril, ranked No. 8 nationally in singles play, defeated Eleazar Magallan, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. After falling behind 1-0 in the third set, Carril responded by winning the next four games to take control. “Esteban was off-and-on at the start, but he got his game back by the end,” Rive said. Gordon took a, 6-2, 6-4, victory from Peter Stroer. In an attempt to “mix things up,” Rive changed the No. 3 doubles pairing. Seniors Scott Eddins and Petr Koula responded by delivering an, 8-3, victory. “We made some changes in the doubles, and it worked well,” Rive said. “I thought (Koula) gave us an emotional lift. Maybe we had lost a few too many points at that position.” The Frogs took the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead when the No. 2 doubles team of Carril and Gordon won, 8-5. The Frogs went on to claim four of the six singles matches. Junior Daniel Wajnberg swept Alex Barragan in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1. Wajnberg came within a break of a perfect match. “I felt good today,” Wajnberg said. “I’ve been playing pretty solid the past few matches, and (Barragan) made a lot of mistakes, so it was easy for me.” Sophomore Jimmy Haney moved his season record to 12-4 with a, 6-1, 7-6, victory against Andy Metzler. Having completed one of the best springs in school history at 18-3, the Frogs have fixed their sights on their third WAC title in four years. Wajnberg said the Frogs are looking forward to the WAC Championships. “I think we’re prepared,” Wajnberg said. “We’ve seen the best, and we’ve played the best.”
Matt Stiver |
