NCAA Mens Tennis

#6 Vols Drop Road Battle to #5 TCU

#6 Vols Drop Road Battle to #5 TCU


FORT WORTH, Texas – A hard-fought road contest at No. 5 TCU saw the sixth-ranked Tennessee men’s tennis team fall in a 4-3 decision Sunday afternoon at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
 
Tennessee (7-1) notched the doubles point over the Horned Frogs (5-0), sparked by 26th-ranked Johannus Monday and Angel Diaz’s 6-3 victory over TCU’s No. 7 pair of Sebastian Gorzny and Pedro Vives, recording their second win over a ranked opponent this season. Shunsuke Mitsui and Filip Pieczonka, ranked 34th in the nation, clinched the match with a gritty 6-3 win over the Horned Frogs’ Jake Fearnley and Jack Pinnington on court two.
 
No. 33 Mitsui was the first to finish singles action, dominantly defeating No. 3 Pinnington in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. The junior’s victory is his highest-ranked singles win of his career and his first over a top-10 opponent.
 
TCU posted its first point with a singles win on court four. At the No. 3 spot, Pieczonka conquered a first-set tiebreaker, 7-5 at 6-all, before routing the Horned Frogs’ No. 14 Vives in the second set, 6-4, to give the Vols a 3-1 advantage. The freshman’s win marks his first over a ranked opponent in his collegiate career.
 
The Horned Frogs responded with a victory at the No. 5 spot, while Monday dropped a hard-fought third-set tiebreaker to Fearnley atop the lineup, tying the score at 3-all. TCU clinched the match at the No. 6 spot, with Tomas Jirousek defeating Chris Li, 6-3, 6-2.
 
HOT START FOR SHUN
Shunsuke Mitsui is off to an impressive 12-0 start on the singles courts, dating to fall action. The junior has defeated four ranked opponents while holding the longest winning streak of the 2023-24 squad. With his win over TCU’s Jack Pinnington, Mitsui is now on the longest singles winning streak of his collegiate career.
 
UNDEFEATED IN SINGLES
Filip Pieczonka, along with Mitsui, are both undefeated in singles competition through UT’s first eight matches of the dual season.
 
UP NEXT
Tennessee will head to the Big Apple to take on No. 9 Columbia at Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center. on Friday, Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
RESULTS
Doubles
1. #26 Johannus Monday/Angel Diaz (UT) def. #7 Sebastian Gorzny/Pedro Vives (TCU), 6-3
2. #34 Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka (UT) def. Jake Fearnley/Jack Pinnington (TCU), 6-3
3. #15 Duncan Chan/Lui Maxted (TCU) def. Younes Lalami/Filip Apltauer (UT), 6-1
 
Order of Finish: 1,3,2
 
Singles
1. Jake Fearnly (TCU) def. #20 Johannus…

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