DENVER - SMU and TCU men's tennis teams survived their first and second round matches to earn a spot in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Men's Tennis Team Championships beginning May 19 in Athens, Ga.
After claiming a four-hour plus 4-3 victory over Arkansas at home on May 13, the Mustangs advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season. SMU overcame a 1-0 deficit in doubles, and Jon Wallmark rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third and deciding set to win the match for SMU.
WAC Player of the Year Genius Chidzikwe, ranked sixth nationally, tied the match at one a piece with his straight set victory over Oskar Johansson, the No. 4 player nationally, at No. 1 singles. Alexis Rudzinski and Johan Brunstrom gave SMU the advantage, as both won at No. 4 and No. 6 singles, respectively. With the match tied at three all Wallmark shouldered the weight of the team and battled Hennrik Tofft at the No. 2 position. Wallmark won the first set 7-6, dropped the second set 7-5, and was down 5-4 serving 15-40 for the match. Continuing to fight, the senior pulled out a historic performance, winning the third set 7-5 to help SMU (22-2) secure a trip to the big dance.
Across town, TCU defeated Tulane, 4-2, in Fort Worth, to advance to the Sweet 16. With the win, the Frogs improved to 22-3 this year, equaling the number of wins the team captured last season.
Much like the two teams first meeting earlier this season, TCU dropped the doubles point. The Horned Frogs responded with a fury in the singles, breezing through four, five and six singles to take a 3-1 advantage over the Conference USA champion Green Wave.
Not to be intimidated by the fourth-ranked Frogs, Tulane's Victor Romero claimed a hard-fought, three set match against TCU senior Trace Fielding, who took the first set from Romero 6-3, but dropped the second 3-6 and lost the match at 5-7 in the third. With the match on the line, TCU called upon its two-time All-American Esteban Carril at one singles and nation's 10th-ranked player responded with an impressive 7-6, 6-4 victory over 34th-ranked Michael Kogan.
SMU faces No. 17 Mississippi State, who upset 11th-ranked Illinois, in the opening round of the team championships on May 19 in Athens, Ga. TCU will square off against Southern California in the first round of the team championships. The Trojans are unseeded in the tournament and reached the "Sweet 16" by upsetting 12th-seeded Mississippi 4-3.
In other men's tennis action, Fresno State (18-9) fell to Cal 4-2 in the second round, while Rice (21-9) ended its season with a 4-1 loss to Auburn in the first round of regional action. Bulldog senior Peter Luczak will be competing as an individual in the singles bracket and will play with teammate David Mullins in the doubles competition. Sean Cooper and Nick Fustar are the fourth alternates in doubles.
For the women, WAC Champion TCU (21-4) saw its NCAA hopes and 18-match winning streak dashed by Texas, 4-1, while 12th-ranked Fresno State (21-5) was stopped by UCLA, 4-3, in second round action.