SINGLES CARRIES TCU PAST LOBOS

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (April 9, 2009) The TCU men’s tennis team rode a 4-for-4 effort from positions No. 3 through 6 of its singles lineup Thursday to a 5-2 victory over No. 41 New Mexico at San Diego State’s Aztec Tennis Center.

The victory improved TCU’s overall season record to 9-10, including a 3-1 mark in Mountain West Conference play. New Mexico, which dropped its first conference match, fell to 15-4 and 2-1, respectively.

The 45th-ranked Horned Frogs suffered straight-set defeats at the top two singles positions, but a solid effort from the rest of its lineup, as well as a 2-of-3 showing in doubles, helped the squad bounce back from a loss to Utah in its latest outing last Saturday.

The squad squeaked out the doubles victory with sophomores Zach Nichols and Christopher Price earning a 9-7 win over UNM’s Ben Dunbar and Carl Ho in the deciding match. Junior Kriegler Brink and freshman Slah Mbarek, TCU’s top tandem that ranks 31st nationally, had defeated Miles Bugby and Johnny Parkes, 8-6, earlier following an 8-2 setback for the Frogs’ No. 2 pairing of junior Adrian Simon and sophomore Emanuel Brighiu to the Lobos’ Graeme Kassautzki and Joe Wood.

Brink, ranked 76th nationally in singles, clinched the team outcome for TCU at No. 3 singles with a tightly contested 7-6(6), 7-5 win over Kassautzki. Brink, who bounced back after seeing his 14-match winning streak between singles and doubles play end on Saturday, fought off two set points from Kassautzki in the opening set on his way to the victory.

Brink’s win led a parade of Frog victories in the bottom four singles positions. Price and Powers helped set up the clinching match with straight-set decisions at Nos. 5 and 6 singles over Phil Anderson (6-4, 7-5) and Joe Wood (6-1, 6-4), respectively. The two Frogs have given a nice boost to their team recently, with Powers having won five of his last six matches and Price winning four of his
last five.

Nichols added an additional point at the No. 4 spot after the team decision had been clinched by gutting out a 6-3, 6-7(8), 1-0 (10-8) victory over Wood.

Mbarek and Brighiu each fell playing the top-two singles positions. Mbarek, ranked 62nd nationally but battling through a recent injury, dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision to Parkes. Brighiu, the nation’s No. 110 player who also has dealt with an injury this season, fell to Bugby, 7-5, 6-4.

“I was really pleased with our effort today,” head coach Dave Borelli said. “The bottom of the lineup really carried the load for us. I thought Brink’s ability to come back in that first set was pivotal for us, and it’s great to see the bottom positions playing as well as they are.”

TCU continues is weekend-long trip to San Diego Friday, when it plays No. 38 San Diego State at 11 a.m. CDT. The Frogs will then play Air Force Saturday at 10 p.m. CDT to finish off its regular-season schedule.


Results
No. 45 TCU 5, No. 41 New Mexico 2
April 9, 2009
San Diego, Calif. (Aztec Tennis Center)

Doubles
1. #31 Kriegler Brink/Slah Mbarek (TCU) def. Miles Bugby/Johnny Parkes (UNM),
8-6
2. Graeme Kassautzki/Joe Wood (UNM) def. #20 Emanuel Brighiu/Adrian Simon (TCU),
8-2
3. Zach Nichols/Christopher Price (TCU) def. Ben Dunbar/Carl Ho (UNM), 9-7

Singles
1. Johnny Parks (UNM) def. #62 Slah Mbarek (TCU), 6-2, 6-1
2. Miles Bugby (UNM) def. #110 Emanuel Brighiu (TCU), 7-5, 6-4
3. #76 Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Graeme Kassautzki (UNM), 7-6(6), 7-5
4. Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Ben Dunbar (UNM), 6-3, 6-7(8), 1-0 (8-6)
5. Christopher Price (TCU) def. Phil Anderson (UNM), 6-4, 7-5
6. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Joe Wood (UNM), 6-1, 6-4