FORT WORTH - The No. 2 ranked Texas Christian University (TCU) men's tennis team is gearing up for a busy weekend as they host two Big 12 dual matches against No. 15 Arizona and No. 32 Arizona State in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs will take on the Wildcats this Friday at 5:30 PM, followed by a clash with the Sun Devils on Sunday at 1 PM.
Last time out, TCU earned its first Big 12 dual win of the season, defeating No. 19 UCF 4-2. The match saw the Frogs battle back remarkably after losing the doubles point and managing to secure victories in four out of six singles matches on courts two, six, three, and one to seal the win.
As TCU prepares to face Arizona, the Wildcats come into the match boasting a strong 15-3 record, although they recently suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat to No. 19 UCF in Orlando, Florida. Arizona's lineup features some noteworthy talent, headed by the No. 4 singles player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, Colton Smith, alongside No. 8 Jay Friend and No. 89 Zoran Ludoski.
Arizona's doubles pairs are also impressive, with Friend and Eirc Padgham sitting at No. 33 in the rankings, while Inaki Cabrera-Bello and Colton Smith hold the No. 64 spot. The Wildcats will be bringing a strong challenge to TCU this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils, entering the weekend with a 9-6 record, will first face off against the No. 14 Baylor Bears before their showdown with TCU. Arizona State features two singles players ranked in the ITA: No. 50 Bor Artnak and No. 110 Mathis Bondaz. Their doubles teams also come in with notable rankings, as Artnak and Matic Dimic check in at No. 48, and Artnak along with Daniel Phillips are ranked No. 66.
As the excitement builds for the matches, TCU's doubles rankings are as follows: #1 pair Pedro Vives and Lui Maxted, and #56 pair Jack Pinnington and Cooper Woestendick. In singles, TCU's rankings feature Pedro Vives at #2, Jack Pinnington at #15, Lui Maxted at #20, and Cooper Woestendick at #72.
In another recent highlight from TCU tennis, Tomi Main, a redshirt junior, secured a significant singles win last week, contributing to TCU's narrow 4-3 victory over Texas Tech. Main demonstrated her resilience by bouncing back after losing the first set 4-6, ultimately winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-2. This win was especially meaningful for Main, who started her collegiate career at Texas Tech before transferring to UOP for two years and then entering the transfer portal to join TCU.
Main, a former five-star recruit and a multi-sport athlete from Stevenson, has had an impressive year so far, holding an 11-4 overall record as TCU’s No. 4 singles player. This includes a tournament record of 7-2 and 4-2 in dual matches. Notably, she reached a 23-15 record last year at UOP, where she garnered All West Coast Conference second-team honors as a doubles player.
In her freshman year at Stevenson, Main reached the CCS singles semifinals and was ranked No. 9 in the nation in the 18-under division in 2018. She also celebrated victory at a Level III pro tournament in Sacramento in 2022.
As TCU looks ahead, the upcoming dual matches present a critical opportunity for the team to build momentum heading into the latter part of the season. Fans and players alike are eager for the challenge these ranked opponents will bring this weekend. Will TCU continue its winning ways against Arizona and Arizona State? Only time will tell as the matches unfold.
