Dallas – The No. 7 Texas Men’s Tennis team achieved a decisive 4-0 victory over No. 19 Baylor in the semifinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex in Dallas on Monday. This victory propels the Longhorns to the tournament final for only the second time in the program’s history, the last being in 2023 in Chicago. They will face No. 2 Ohio State on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. CT, aiming for their first title.
By defeating Baylor, Texas completed a sweep of three in-state rivals after advancing to national tournament competition, having previously triumphed over No. 8 Texas A&M in the round of 16 and No. 5 TCU in the quarterfinals, both in Waco. Earlier, the Longhorns defeated UNC Wilmington and South Florida in the first two rounds on January 23 and 24, respectively, in Austin.
The match began with Texas securing the doubles point with wins at the first and second positions. The Longhorns continued their dominance with singles victories from sophomore No. 51 Sebastian Eriksson at No. 4, and freshmen Kalin Ivanovski at No. 2, and Lucas Marionneau at No. 6 to clinch the match.
In doubles, Ivanovski and freshman Abel Forger kicked off the day with a 6-3 victory at No. 1 over Connor Van Schalkwyk and Luc Koenig. Marionneau and senior Sebastian Gorzny secured the doubles point with a 7-5 win against Alexandru Chirita and Zsombor Velcz at No. 2. The Longhorns were also leading the unfinished match at No. 3 where the duo of Eriksson and sophomore Oliver Ojakaar held a 6-5 advantage.
For singles, Eriksson was the first to finish, winning 6-4, 7-5 against No. 99 Alexandru Chirita at No. 4. Ivanovski then completed a comeback against No. 106 Velcz, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2, before Marionneau clinched the match with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Louis Bowden at No. 6, completing a three-game win streak.
Three other singles matches were left unfinished, including No. 10 Gorzny having a slight edge in his third set against No. 17 Badenhorst, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 1-1 at No. 1. Forger was also up in his third set against No. 41 Van Schalkwyk, 3-6, 6-3, 4-2, while senior Jonah Braswell was trailing in his third set against Koenig, 6-4, 4-6, 1-2.
Head Coach Bruce Berque comments:
On the team’s performance against Baylor: “I am incredibly proud of our team’s effort tonight. They demonstrated remarkable mental fortitude and played their best when it mattered.”
On the importance of winning the doubles point: “Securing the doubles point was significant for us after losing the last two. It was a step in the right direction.”
Discussing the lineup decision: “We have made careful decisions for singles due to players returning from injury, and I opted to have Lucas in singles today. He was outstanding in both this match and against Texas A&M.”
Looking ahead to Ohio State: “We respect Ohio State greatly. They have a consistent track record, and after losing to them recently, we are motivated to elevate our performance for this rematch.”
#7 Texas 4, #19 Baylor 0
Singles Results – Order of Finish (4,2,6)
1. #10 Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) vs. #17 Devin Badenhorst (BU) 6-4, 6-7 (4), 1-1, unf.
2. Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) def. #106 Zsombor Velcz (BU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
3. Abel Forger (TEX) vs. #41 Connor Van Schalkwyk (BU) 3-6, 6-3, 4-2, unf.
4. #51 Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. #99 Alexandru Chirita (BU) 6-4, 7-5
5. Jonah Braswell (TEX) vs. Luc Koenig (BU) 6-4, 4-6, 1-2, unf.
6. Lucas Marionneau (TEX) def. Louis Bowden (BU) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles Results – Order of Finish (1,2)
1. Abel Forger/Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) def. Connor Van Schalkwyk/Luc Koenig (BU) 6-3
2. Sebastian Gorzny/Lucas Marionneau (TEX) def. Alexandru Chirita/Zsombor Velcz (BU) 7-5
3. #27 Sebastian Eriksson/Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) vs. Devin Badenhorst/Blake Anderson (BU) 6-5, unf.
