Feb. 22, 2004
FORT WORTH, Texas
The No. 13 TCU men's tennis squad got its second 4-3 victory in a row Sunday afternoon on the Tut Bartzen Varsity Tennis Courts at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. This time, the Horned Frogs downed No. 36 Florida State after beating ninth-rated Texas A&M earlier in the week. Sophomore Rafael Abreu clinched the match for the Frogs with the score tied 3-3 at four singles thanks to a three-set win against Chip Webb, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2. TCU remains undefeated on the year with a 5-0 record, while the Seminoles fall to an even 4-4.
"It was a hard match, emotionally," TCU Head Coach Joey Rivé said. "Florida State came after us and fought back every time we took a lead. I was impressed with their mental toughness.
"Rafael finished strong for us. It was nice to see him win a big match. He's struggled since coming back from Christmas break and this was a huge confidence boost."
The Frogs swept the doubles, which included an upset by TCU's 19th-rated duo of Abreu and Fabrizio Sestini at one. The tandem upended No. 15 Jeff Groslimond and Chris Westerhof, 9-7, to clinch the doubles point. Hector Almada and Jacopo Tezza provided the first win at two, defeating Matt Cloer and Jonathas Sucupira, 8-6. Jacob Martin and Alex Menichini finished things off at the No. 3 hole, 9-7, versus Jarrod Owen and Chip Webb.
TCU rookie Robert Gallman put the Frogs ahead 2-0 with a victory at six singles against Owen, 6-2, 6-3. FSU registered its first point at the top position when No. 29 Cloer handed No. 44 Menichini his first loss of the spring in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. Sestini, ranked 75th, picked up a 6-3, 7-6 triumph at the No. 2 spot over Groslimond to put the Frogs within a point of clinching.
The Seminoles stormed back with two wins, the first of which came courtesy of Sucupira at three. He ousted Tezza 7-6, 6-4, giving the Verona, Italy, native his first defeat in dual matches. Westerhof came back after losing the first set at five singles, 6-3, to defeat Martin by scores of 6-3, 6-2 in the second and third sets.
TCU will host 48th-ranked South Alabama in its next match at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24.
#13 TCU (5-0) 4, #36 Florida State (4-4) 3
SINGLES
1. #29 Matt Cloer (FSU) def. #44 Alex Menichini (TCU) 6-4, 7-5
2. #75 Fabrizio Sestini (TCU) def. Jeff Groslimond (FSU) 6-3, 7-6
3. Jonathas Sucupira (FSU) def. Jacopo Tezza (TCU) 7-6, 6-4
4. Rafael Abreu (TCU) def. Chip Webb (FSU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
5. Chris Westerhof (FSU) def. Jacob Martin (TCU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
6. Robert Gallman (TCU) def. Jarrod Owen (FSU) 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 2, 3, 5, 4*
DOUBLES
1. #19 Abreu/Sestini (TCU) def. #15 Groslimond/Westerhof (FSU) 9-7
2. Hector Almada/Tezza (TCU) def. Cloer/Sucupira (FSU) 8-6
3. Martin/Menichini (TCU) def. Owen/Webb (FSU) 9-7
Order of Finish: 2, 1*, 3
* Clinching point
