Thursday, May 20
Orlando, Fla.
1:00 p.m.
Baylor
4
vs
1
TCU
No. 1 MT Reaches Final Four After Defeating No. 7 TCU
5/20/2021 7:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Bears will make program’s sixth appearance in national semifinals, first since 2015
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
ORLANDO, Fla. – Looking down to Court 6 and seeing that grad transfer Spencer Furman was down 2-5, Baylor coach Michael Woodson smiled and thought to himself, "He's right where we need him to be."
Turns out, he was right.
Furman won nine-straight games and 11 of the last 12 to defeat Bertus Kruger, 7-5, 6-1, and clinch top-ranked and second-seeded Baylor's 4-1 win over Big 12 rival and No. 7 TCU in Thursday's quarterfinal at the USTA National Campus.
"I just have so much trust and confidence in him," Woodson said, "and I think the whole team does, that he's going to lay it on the line every single point. From what it looked like, he just got more and more solid and really dug his heels in and did a phenomenal job stretching the lead there in the second set and using that momentum. I think that's huge in matches like this."
The Bears (33-4), beating TCU (19-8) for the third time this season, advanced to the semifinals for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2015. They will face third-seeded Tennessee (28-3), which overcame a doubles point loss to beat 11th-seeded Georgia, 4-1.
"We know they're going be really feisty and tough and make a lot of balls and make it really hard for us," Woodson said of Tennessee. We're going to have to bring our 'A' game and we're going to have to band together if we're going to have a chance to win."
Furman said he wasn't "starting points on my terms" against Kruger. Surviving a couple set points and holding serve at 5-2 "really gave me a lot of confidence," he said.
"That was the main adjustment," said Furman, who won his team-best 13th-straight match and improved to 15-2 at No. 6 singles. "Once I did that, I was able to gain some momentum. But still, I was winning games close after that. It definitely wasn't easy, but I was happy to get through it."
Before it was in Furman's hands to clinch, the opening doubles point came down to a tiebreaker at No. 3. The Bears split at the top two spots, with Sven Lah and Constantin Frantzen falling to No. 2-ranked Alastair Gray and Luc Fomba, 6-2, at No. 1; and Matias Soto and Nick Stachowiak cruising to a 6-3 win over Tadeas Paroulek and Sander Jong at No. 2.
With all eyes on Court 3, Charlie Broom notched an ace down the middle to get to match point and then rocketed a forehand winner down the line to clinch the opening point. Broom and Finn Bass defeated TCU's Kruger and Jake Fearnley, 7-6(5).
"I definitely feel the nerves," Furman said, "but I felt it more watching that doubles come down to No. 3. That was as tight as it gets."
Woodson said the Bears "got the pressure out of the way with the doubles point," giving them the momentum to win the doubles point for the 29th time. They are 28-1 when winning the doubles point, with the only loss coming to TCU back on Jan. 31.
"To have guys lock it down and get through it in two sets, that was huge," he said. "Our guys talk about it every night: try to win fast and lose slow, if you can, and conserve your energy when you can. Spencer was in a really good position there, and it looked like he was going to close it out. But, for Matias to turn the end of that second set was huge for us."
While Baylor's normal pattern to victory is dominating at the bottom of the order, the Bears picked up two of their points at the top of the lineup. Lah rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Fearnley at No. 3, then Soto finished off a 6-4, 6-4 win over the 17th-ranked Fomba.
"We've been through it all, I feel like, over the last four years," Woodson said. "We simply would not be in this position without those guys. It's been just an absolute pleasure to see Sven improve throughout the semester, and he's really clicking right now. And then Matias, what a turnaround from the other day. He is always highly motivated to play against TCU. . . . He just came out and executed and made it really difficult on Fomba. That was an impressive performance against the Big 12 Player of the Year."
Baylor is 2-6 all-time against Tennessee, but haven't played the Vols since a 4-3 loss in Knoxville in March 2012.
Live streaming for Friday's semifinal is available on the TennisONE app.
THE RUNDOWN
ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 1-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis defeated No. 7 TCU 4-1 Thursday afternoon at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., to advance to the NCAA Semifinals.
The Bears (33-4) grinded out the doubles point and made a strong push in singles to put away the Horned Frogs (19-8) and book the program's sixth trip to the Final Four and first since 2015.
It was TCU that struck first in doubles, as the No. 2-ranked duo of Alastair Gray/Luc Fomba held off No. 9 Constantin Frantzen/Sven Lah, 6-2, at the top spot. However, the Bears responded with a 6-3 victory on court two by No. 75 Matias Soto/Nick Stachowiak over Sander Jong/Tadeas Paroulek to put all eyes on the three's.
With the opening tally up for grabs, Finn Bass/Charlie Broom saved a match point at deuce trailing 6-5 to send the contest to a tiebreaker. After a quick 3-0 start, the Bears battled out a 7-5 breaker to clinch the doubles point for BU.
On the singles courts, all six matches were tight from the start as TCU grabbed the early advantage on court one and court five. However, the Bears took first sets on two, three, four and six after Spencer Furman saved a handful of set points and rallied from down 5-2 to take his opener 7-5 over Bertus Kruger.
That's when the Bears made their move, as Lah flew to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 110 Jake Fearnley for Baylor's second point. TCU got one back from Paroulek on court five as he defeated Broom 6-2, 6-4, but that proved to be the Horned Frogs only singles win.
No. 11 Soto took down the Big 12 Player of the Year and No. 17-ranked Fomba 6-4, 6-4 in the second spot to push the Bears one point closer, and it was Furman who clinched at 7-5, 6-1 after winning 11 of the last 12 games against Kruger at the No. 6 position.
HIGHLIGHTS
• With the win, Baylor advances to the NCAA Semifinals for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2015.
• Baylor's 33 wins are tied for the school's most in a single-season (33, 2005).
• BU improved to 63-21 all-time in NCAA Championship play and 2-1 in postseason matches held in Orlando, Fla., at the USTA National Campus.
• The Bears are 17-6 all-time in 4-1 postseason matches.
• BU is now 11-2 all-time as the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Championship.
• Baylor improved to 3-1 this season against TCU and has won five of its last six meetings with the Horned Frogs.
• BU is now 17-4 against ranked opponents this season.
• Baylor extended its winning streak to seven matches and has won 17 of its last 18 dual matches.
• The Bears are now 29-8 in the doubles point this season and are 28-1 in matches when winning the opening tally.
• Baylor boasts a combined 154-32 (.828) mark in singles action this spring and a collective 72-24 (.750) record in doubles.
• Spencer Furman extended his singles win streak to 13 matches, a team best.
• Matias Soto and Nick Stachowiak lead the Bears with an eight-match doubles win streak.
STAT OF THE MATCH
6 – For the first time in six years, Baylor booked its trip to the NCAA Semifinals. It's the Bears' sixth Final Four appearance in program history.
TOP QUOTES
Head coach Michael Woodson
On advancing to the NCAA Semifinals…
"It feels great. I'm really excited for these guys, proud of them. Anytime we get to play TCU, it's an honor and it's why these guys come to Baylor, to play in the Big 12. To see them for the fourth time, I think we've played them in every type of situation, it was a battle out there. We made it a point to focus on having great energy and looking like you're winning, regardless of what was happening and I feel like that made a big difference for our guys today."
On Furman coming back to win 11 of the last 12 games and clinching the victory…
"I saw he was down 5-2 and thought he was right where we needed him to be. I have so much trust and confidence in him and I think the whole team does. He's going to lay it on the line for every single point. From what it looked like, he just got more and more solid, dug his heels in and did a phenomenal job stretching the lead in the second set and using that momentum."
On it feeling like a home match with a pro-Baylor crowd…
"It's unbelievable. We love it so much. A lot of it is just buy-in from guys who are off the court setting the tone. To have the alumni, family and friends support off the court spread out throughout the facility is incredible. That's a testament to what this university's athletic department administration has done. To have people that support us so much is amazing. These guys frankly deserve it. We're proud to be able to play in a such a great venue with an environment that does feel like we're playing at home."
Graduate senior Spencer Furman
On being a part of the Baylor team…
"I feel like on this team, although I've only been here a year, it feels like I've been here my entire college career. They really welcomed me with open arms and I love being part of this team. I'm trying to just make it last as long as possible."
On it feeling like a home match with a pro-Baylor crowd…
"I think it's a testament to Coach [Woodson] and how much he helps and works. I see him at 11 o'clock at night in the office writing thank you notes and calling supporters thanking them for coming out, so I think he deserves a lot of credit."
On Woodson having the interim tag removed and being named head coach…
"I feel like he's going to be coaching here a long time. It's obviously the right choice. More than Coach, the administration is so supportive. Not just what they do for tennis, but every sport. I see how hard they work and how much they listen to athletes' feedback and it's really special. Baylor Athletics is just a special place."
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 1-ranked and No. 2 seed Baylor (33-4) advances to face No. 3 Tennessee (28-3) in the NCAA Semifinals on Friday, May 21, at 1 p.m. CT at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team all season long, follow their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.
Baylor Bear Insider
ORLANDO, Fla. – Looking down to Court 6 and seeing that grad transfer Spencer Furman was down 2-5, Baylor coach Michael Woodson smiled and thought to himself, "He's right where we need him to be."
Turns out, he was right.
Furman won nine-straight games and 11 of the last 12 to defeat Bertus Kruger, 7-5, 6-1, and clinch top-ranked and second-seeded Baylor's 4-1 win over Big 12 rival and No. 7 TCU in Thursday's quarterfinal at the USTA National Campus.
"I just have so much trust and confidence in him," Woodson said, "and I think the whole team does, that he's going to lay it on the line every single point. From what it looked like, he just got more and more solid and really dug his heels in and did a phenomenal job stretching the lead there in the second set and using that momentum. I think that's huge in matches like this."
The Bears (33-4), beating TCU (19-8) for the third time this season, advanced to the semifinals for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2015. They will face third-seeded Tennessee (28-3), which overcame a doubles point loss to beat 11th-seeded Georgia, 4-1.
"We know they're going be really feisty and tough and make a lot of balls and make it really hard for us," Woodson said of Tennessee. We're going to have to bring our 'A' game and we're going to have to band together if we're going to have a chance to win."
Furman said he wasn't "starting points on my terms" against Kruger. Surviving a couple set points and holding serve at 5-2 "really gave me a lot of confidence," he said.
"That was the main adjustment," said Furman, who won his team-best 13th-straight match and improved to 15-2 at No. 6 singles. "Once I did that, I was able to gain some momentum. But still, I was winning games close after that. It definitely wasn't easy, but I was happy to get through it."
Before it was in Furman's hands to clinch, the opening doubles point came down to a tiebreaker at No. 3. The Bears split at the top two spots, with Sven Lah and Constantin Frantzen falling to No. 2-ranked Alastair Gray and Luc Fomba, 6-2, at No. 1; and Matias Soto and Nick Stachowiak cruising to a 6-3 win over Tadeas Paroulek and Sander Jong at No. 2.
With all eyes on Court 3, Charlie Broom notched an ace down the middle to get to match point and then rocketed a forehand winner down the line to clinch the opening point. Broom and Finn Bass defeated TCU's Kruger and Jake Fearnley, 7-6(5).
"I definitely feel the nerves," Furman said, "but I felt it more watching that doubles come down to No. 3. That was as tight as it gets."
Woodson said the Bears "got the pressure out of the way with the doubles point," giving them the momentum to win the doubles point for the 29th time. They are 28-1 when winning the doubles point, with the only loss coming to TCU back on Jan. 31.
"To have guys lock it down and get through it in two sets, that was huge," he said. "Our guys talk about it every night: try to win fast and lose slow, if you can, and conserve your energy when you can. Spencer was in a really good position there, and it looked like he was going to close it out. But, for Matias to turn the end of that second set was huge for us."
While Baylor's normal pattern to victory is dominating at the bottom of the order, the Bears picked up two of their points at the top of the lineup. Lah rolled to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Fearnley at No. 3, then Soto finished off a 6-4, 6-4 win over the 17th-ranked Fomba.
"We've been through it all, I feel like, over the last four years," Woodson said. "We simply would not be in this position without those guys. It's been just an absolute pleasure to see Sven improve throughout the semester, and he's really clicking right now. And then Matias, what a turnaround from the other day. He is always highly motivated to play against TCU. . . . He just came out and executed and made it really difficult on Fomba. That was an impressive performance against the Big 12 Player of the Year."
Baylor is 2-6 all-time against Tennessee, but haven't played the Vols since a 4-3 loss in Knoxville in March 2012.
Live streaming for Friday's semifinal is available on the TennisONE app.
THE RUNDOWN
ORLANDO, Fla. – No. 1-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis defeated No. 7 TCU 4-1 Thursday afternoon at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla., to advance to the NCAA Semifinals.
The Bears (33-4) grinded out the doubles point and made a strong push in singles to put away the Horned Frogs (19-8) and book the program's sixth trip to the Final Four and first since 2015.
It was TCU that struck first in doubles, as the No. 2-ranked duo of Alastair Gray/Luc Fomba held off No. 9 Constantin Frantzen/Sven Lah, 6-2, at the top spot. However, the Bears responded with a 6-3 victory on court two by No. 75 Matias Soto/Nick Stachowiak over Sander Jong/Tadeas Paroulek to put all eyes on the three's.
With the opening tally up for grabs, Finn Bass/Charlie Broom saved a match point at deuce trailing 6-5 to send the contest to a tiebreaker. After a quick 3-0 start, the Bears battled out a 7-5 breaker to clinch the doubles point for BU.
On the singles courts, all six matches were tight from the start as TCU grabbed the early advantage on court one and court five. However, the Bears took first sets on two, three, four and six after Spencer Furman saved a handful of set points and rallied from down 5-2 to take his opener 7-5 over Bertus Kruger.
That's when the Bears made their move, as Lah flew to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 110 Jake Fearnley for Baylor's second point. TCU got one back from Paroulek on court five as he defeated Broom 6-2, 6-4, but that proved to be the Horned Frogs only singles win.
No. 11 Soto took down the Big 12 Player of the Year and No. 17-ranked Fomba 6-4, 6-4 in the second spot to push the Bears one point closer, and it was Furman who clinched at 7-5, 6-1 after winning 11 of the last 12 games against Kruger at the No. 6 position.
HIGHLIGHTS
• With the win, Baylor advances to the NCAA Semifinals for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2015.
• Baylor's 33 wins are tied for the school's most in a single-season (33, 2005).
• BU improved to 63-21 all-time in NCAA Championship play and 2-1 in postseason matches held in Orlando, Fla., at the USTA National Campus.
• The Bears are 17-6 all-time in 4-1 postseason matches.
• BU is now 11-2 all-time as the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Championship.
• Baylor improved to 3-1 this season against TCU and has won five of its last six meetings with the Horned Frogs.
• BU is now 17-4 against ranked opponents this season.
• Baylor extended its winning streak to seven matches and has won 17 of its last 18 dual matches.
• The Bears are now 29-8 in the doubles point this season and are 28-1 in matches when winning the opening tally.
• Baylor boasts a combined 154-32 (.828) mark in singles action this spring and a collective 72-24 (.750) record in doubles.
• Spencer Furman extended his singles win streak to 13 matches, a team best.
• Matias Soto and Nick Stachowiak lead the Bears with an eight-match doubles win streak.
STAT OF THE MATCH
6 – For the first time in six years, Baylor booked its trip to the NCAA Semifinals. It's the Bears' sixth Final Four appearance in program history.
TOP QUOTES
Head coach Michael Woodson
On advancing to the NCAA Semifinals…
"It feels great. I'm really excited for these guys, proud of them. Anytime we get to play TCU, it's an honor and it's why these guys come to Baylor, to play in the Big 12. To see them for the fourth time, I think we've played them in every type of situation, it was a battle out there. We made it a point to focus on having great energy and looking like you're winning, regardless of what was happening and I feel like that made a big difference for our guys today."
On Furman coming back to win 11 of the last 12 games and clinching the victory…
"I saw he was down 5-2 and thought he was right where we needed him to be. I have so much trust and confidence in him and I think the whole team does. He's going to lay it on the line for every single point. From what it looked like, he just got more and more solid, dug his heels in and did a phenomenal job stretching the lead in the second set and using that momentum."
On it feeling like a home match with a pro-Baylor crowd…
"It's unbelievable. We love it so much. A lot of it is just buy-in from guys who are off the court setting the tone. To have the alumni, family and friends support off the court spread out throughout the facility is incredible. That's a testament to what this university's athletic department administration has done. To have people that support us so much is amazing. These guys frankly deserve it. We're proud to be able to play in a such a great venue with an environment that does feel like we're playing at home."
Graduate senior Spencer Furman
On being a part of the Baylor team…
"I feel like on this team, although I've only been here a year, it feels like I've been here my entire college career. They really welcomed me with open arms and I love being part of this team. I'm trying to just make it last as long as possible."
On it feeling like a home match with a pro-Baylor crowd…
"I think it's a testament to Coach [Woodson] and how much he helps and works. I see him at 11 o'clock at night in the office writing thank you notes and calling supporters thanking them for coming out, so I think he deserves a lot of credit."
On Woodson having the interim tag removed and being named head coach…
"I feel like he's going to be coaching here a long time. It's obviously the right choice. More than Coach, the administration is so supportive. Not just what they do for tennis, but every sport. I see how hard they work and how much they listen to athletes' feedback and it's really special. Baylor Athletics is just a special place."
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 1-ranked and No. 2 seed Baylor (33-4) advances to face No. 3 Tennessee (28-3) in the NCAA Semifinals on Friday, May 21, at 1 p.m. CT at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.
For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team all season long, follow their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.
-BaylorBears.com-
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2,3
#1 Singles Match
123
Alastair Gray / 0 (12/-) [TCU]
650
46UF
#2 Singles Match
12
Luc Fomba / 0 (17/-) [TCU]
44
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Jake Fearnley / 0 (110/-) [TCU]
31
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Tomas Jirousek / 0 (94/-) [TCU]
530
72UF
#5 Singles Match
12
Tadeas Paroulek / 0 [TCU]
66
24
#6 Singles Match
12
Bertus Kruger / 0 [TCU]
51
76
Order of Finish:
3,5,2,6
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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