TALLAHASSEE – The No. 9 Florida State men’s tennis team fell 4-2 to 12th-ranked Baylor on Saturday evening in the winner’s bracket of the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Junior Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc, the 12th-ranked singles player in the nation, gave FSU its first point with a 6-2, 6-4 decision over 23rd-ranked Finn Bass at No. 1. Cornut-Chauvinc is 5-0 in singles this season, and all five wins have come against ranked opponents.
Sophomore Youcef Rihane, the 24th-ranked player in the country, defeated No. 115 Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi in straight sets with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 4 to bring FSU within a point of the Bears.
Trailing 3-2 with two courts left, Loris Pourroy and Joshua Dous-Karpenschif both rallied after dropping their first sets to force a pair of third-set matches with the team victory on the line. FSU’s comeback ultimately fell short after Tadeas Paroulek’s 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory at No. 2 sealed the win for the Bears.
Florida State is now 5-1 on the season and will be back in action Thursday when the Seminoles travel to Lake Nona, Florida, to play in-state rival No. 16 Florida at 5:30 p.m. The match, which is part of the annual College MatchDay played at the USTA National Campus, will be broadcast on ESPN+.
#12 Baylor 4, #9 Florida State 2
Singles Competition
- #12 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc (FSU) def. #23 Finn Bass (BAY) 6-4, 6-2
- Tadeas Paroulek (BAY) def. Loris Pourroy (FSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
- Marko Miladinovic (BAY) def. Andreja Petrovic (FSU) 6-1, 6-1
- #24 Youcef Rihane (FSU) def. #115 Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (BAY) 6-3, 6-4
- Zsombor Velcz (BAY) def. #53 Jamie Connel (FSU) 7-6 (3), 6-3
- Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) vs. Ethan Muza (BAY) 5-7, 7-6 (4), 4-5 (unfinished)
Doubles Competition
- #3 Finn Bass/Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (BU) def. Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc/Barnaby Smith (FSU) 6-3
- #59 Tadeas Paroulek/Zsombor Velcz (BU) def. Maks Silagy/Joshua Dous-Karpenschif (FSU) 6-4
- Loris Pourroy/Alex Bulte (FSU) vs. Ethan Muza/Luc Koenig (BU) 5-2 (unfinished)
For more information on the Florida State men’s tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at FSUMTennis (IG) and @FSU_MTennis (TW).