Ohio State
#2 TCU (NCAA Semifinals)
No. 3 Buckeyes Roll Past No. 2 TCU 4-0
5/20/2023 4:36:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 3 Ohio State won a close doubles point and then rolled to three straight-set singles wins to blow past No. 2 TCU 4-0 in the semifinals of the NCAA Championship. The Buckeyes will face Virginia in Sunday's championship match at noon.
Freshman Alexander Bernard has provided the clinching point in each of the last two matches, albeit in less dramatic fashion on Saturday. He along with fellow freshman Jack Anthrop and senior Justin Boulais secured the three singles wins.
This was the third meeting between the teams in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State won in the quarterfinals in 2017 and TCU won in the round of 16 in Orlando in 2021. The teams also met in the ITA National Indoor Team Championship last year and TCU ended the Buckeyes' run in the semifinals with a 4-3 win.
Ohio State advances to its third NCAA Championship match. The Buckeyes also played for the title in 2009 and 2018 but came up short each time. Virginia is the defending national champion but the Buckeyes have beaten UVA twice already this season.
Doubles
- The doubles point was fitting of two top teams. The teams split the matches on courts one and three and the final match on court two came down to a tiebreaker.
- TCU got the first win on court three as Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy fell 6-4. The Horned Frogs got the only break at 4-3 and held the rest of the way for the win.
- The same happened on court one. Robert Cash and Justin Boulais broke to go up 3-1 and would hold that edge for a huge 6-3 victory over the No. 2-ranked team of Jake Fearnley and Luc Fomba. The win was especially sweet for Cash. He had one of the best doubles seasons in program history last year, only losing five times, and Fearnley and Fomba was one of those five.
- That left the point to be decided on court two. Andrew Lutschaunig and James Trotter held serve throughout and was leading 6-5 and up 40-15, but the TCU tandem of Sebastian Gorzny and Pedro Vives came back to hold and send the match to a tiebreaker. In the breaker, the Buckeyes raced out to a 4-1 lead and after a double-fault, would win the breaker 7-5.
Singles
- TCU jumped ahead with early breaks on courts 1-4. But the Buckeyes battled, turning one of them around and then won the opening set on courts five and six.
- Freshman Jack Anthrop has played great tennis all season and he has been dominant in the NCAA Tournament. He won again in straight sets on court six, beating Lui Maxted 6-2, 6-2 to put the Buckeyes in front 2-0. Anthrop is now 21-4 on the year and 17-2 during the dual season.
- The third point came from senior Justin Boulais on court one. He fell behind a break to No. 21 Jake Fearnley early in the first and was down 3-1. He rallied to win the set 6-3 and that seemed to swing a ton of momentum down the line. Boulais broke again midway through the second set and closed out the match 6-4. After struggling yesterday, that was a huge win for Boulais.
- The clinching point again came from freshman Alexander Bernard on court five. He won the opening set 6-4 over Sebastian Gorzny and then rallied from down a break early in the second. Leading 5-4, he would hold serve for the point to send the Buckeyes to the championship match.
- Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy both lost the opening sets in their matches but dug deep for late breaks in the second set. Both players would break for 5-5 which didn't allow for any TCU momentum. That was key as Boulais and Bernard pulled through for the final two points.
Up Next
- Ohio State will play for a national title on Sunday at noon against Virginia. The teams have met twice already this season with Ohio State winning 4-1 at Virginia on Feb. 11, and 4-0 in the consolation round of the ITA National Indoor Championships on Feb. 19. Both of those meetings were indoors.
#3 Ohio State 4, #2 TCU 0
Singles
1. #24 Justin Boulais (OSU) def. #21 Jake Fearnley (TCU) 6-3, 6-4
2. #11 Cannon Kingsley (OSU) vs. #17 Luc Fomba (TCU) 2- 6, 6-5, unfinished
3. #22 JJ Tracy (OSU) vs. #71 Jack Pinnington (TCU) 2-6, 6-5, unfinished
4. #34 James Trotter (OSU) vs. #62 Sander Jong (TCU) 6-7 (7-5), 2-3unfinished
5. #41 Alexander Bernard (OSU) def. #92 Sebastian Gorzny (TCU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Jack Anthrop (OSU) def. Lui Maxted (TCU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. #21 Justin Boulais/Robert Cash (OSU) def. #2 Jake Fearnley/Luc Fomba (TCU) 6-3
2. #16 James Trotter/Andrew Lutschaunig (OSU) def. Sebastian Gorzny/Pedro Vives (TCU) 7-6 (7-5)
3. #22 Sander Jong/Lui Maxted (TCU) def. JJ Tracy/Cannon Kingsley (OSU) 6-4
Match Notes:
Ohio State 34-2; National ranking #3
TCU 26-3; National ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,1,5)
NCAA Tournament Semifinals
Official: Anthony Montero T-2:25
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