TCU men’s tennis pushed No. 1 Texas to the brink, but five missed match points ended the Frogs’ NCAA semifinal run in a 4-3 thriller.
TCU men’s tennis came painfully close to another NCAA Championship final, but the Horned Frogs’ season ended in a 4-3 semifinal loss to No. 1 Texas in Athens, Georgia.
The second-ranked Frogs had five match-point chances and led the Longhorns three different times, but Texas survived the pressure and stole the Final Four showdown at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
TCU struck first by winning the doubles point. Duncan Chan and Cosme Rolland De Ravel beat Abel Forger and Kalin Ivanovski 6-3, while Albert Pedrico and Cooper Woestendick also delivered a 6-3 win over Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau.
Roger Pascual pushed TCU back in front with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 singles win on court six. Pedrico then moved the Frogs within one point of the championship match, rallying past No. 102 Forger 7-5, 1-6, 6-2.
The match turned on court one. Chan, ranked No. 8 nationally, led No. 3 Gorzny 6-4, 5-3 and served for the win. He also had a triple break-point chance in the next game, but Gorzny escaped both moments and eventually won 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to clinch it.
Texas also got a key three-set win from No. 41 Ivanovski, who edged No. 42 Rolland De Ravel 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5), tying the dual at 3-3 before Gorzny finished it.
TCU closed the year 25-6, the fourth-most wins in program history. The Frogs also reached their fourth straight Final Four and eighth overall.
It’s a brutal finish, but TCU’s future remains loaded. With seven players expected back and five singles lineup pieces returning, the Frogs should be right back in the national title hunt.
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