Cowboys Fall to No. 16 TCU in Big 12 Opener

Friday, March 31

Stillwater, Okla.

5:00 P.M.

Oklahoma State University

TCU

March 31, 2017 | Cowboy Tennis

Photos

STILLWATER – The Oklahoma State men's tennis team had its nine-match winning streak ended on Friday, as the eighth-ranked Cowboys fell to No. 16 TCU, 4-0, at the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center.

"Obviously it wasn't the result we were hoping to get today," head coach Jay Udwadia said. "I thought our energy could've been a little better in doubles, but a lot of the credit has to go to TCU for the way that they played."

The Cowboys (17-4; 0-1 Big 12) found themselves in an early hole on Friday after TCU claimed the doubles point with wins on courts two and three.

TCU's' first win came on court three, but OSU quickly leveled doubles play thanks to Julian Cash and Arjun Kadhe on court one. The All-American duo earned its 23rd win of the season as they defeated No. 38-ranked Jerry Lopez and Reese Stadler, 6-2.

The Horned Frogs put the point away shortly thereafter, however, as Guillermo Nunez and Alex Rybakov, ranked No. 21 in the nation, defeated OSU's Lucas Gerch and Jurence Mendoza, 6-4.

Oklahoma State attempted to make its third comeback in as many weeks during singles play, but TCU picked up wins at the top three positions to send the Cowboys to 0-1 in Big 12 play.

Julian Cash was the first Cowboy to fall in singles play, as he dropped a hard-fought contest to TCU's Cameron Norrie, who entered the day 11-1 on the season and ranked No. 3 in the nation.

"Cash has had a fantastic season to this point and he knows he can play, so I know that I don't have to worry about him," Udwadia said. "He's got a great head on his shoulders and he'll be ready to go again on Sunday against Texas."

The Cowboys continued to fight to get back in the match, but TCU put away the match with No. 78 Guillermo Nunez's 6-2, 6-2 win over Lucas Gerch and No. 27 Alex Rybakov's 6-1, 6-4 win over OSU's Arjun Kadhe.

"The Big 12 is one of the best conferences in the country," Udwadia said. "You've got to be ready to go from the start and if you're even a little bit off your game it can get away from you. I think TCU is a top-10 team in the nation, especially as they get all of their guys back into their lineup and every team in the Big 12 is just like that."

Up next, the Cowboys will continue Big 12 play when they host No. 6 Texas at the Greenwood Tennis Center on Sunday at 1 p.m. OSU has not beaten Texas since 2007 and dropped the first meeting between the two teams this season, 4-2, during consolation play at the ITA National Indoor Championship.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 0, No. 16 TCU 4
March 31, 2017 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.

Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1, 2)
C1: No. 2 Cash/Kadhe (OSU) def. No. 38 Lopez/Stalder (TCU), 6-2
C2: No. 21 Nunez/Rybakov (TCU) def. No. 76 Gerch/Mendoza (OSU), 6-4
C3: Johnson/Norrie (TCU) def. Dubinski/Finzelberg (OSU), 6-1

Singles (Order of finish: 1, 3, 2)
C1: No. 3 Cameron Norrie (TCU) def. No. 23 Julian Cash, 6-4, 6-2
C2: No. 27 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. No. 77 Arjun Kadhe (OSU), 6-1, 6-4
C3: No 78 Guillermo Nunez (TCU) def. Lucas Gerch (OSU), 6-2, 6-2
C4: Artur Dubinski (OSU) vs. No. 81 Jerry Lopez (TCU), 6-3, 3-3, unf.
C5: No. 69 Lukas Finzelberg (OSU) vs. Reese Stalder (TCU), 1-6, 6-6 (2-4), unf.
C6: Tristan Meraut (OSU) vs. Trey Daniel (TCU), 6-2, 4-3, unf.