Texas Tech University Athletics
Thursday, April 27
Norman, Okla.
10:00 AM
Texas Tech Athletics
4
vs
2
No. 6 Baylor
No. 41 Men's Tennis Topples No. 6 Baylor, 4-2
April 27, 2017 | Men's Tennis
NORMAN, Okla. – Jolan Cailleau and Connor Curry dialed up straight-set victories to break a 2-2 tie and propel the No. 41 Texas Tech men's tennis team to a 4-2 win over No. 6 Baylor during Thursday's Big 12 Championships Quarterfinal Round at the Headington Family Tennis Center on the University of Oklahoma campus.
The Red Raiders (12-14) collected their fifth consecutive victory over Baylor (21-7) under second-year head coach Brett Masi. The five-game run matches the nation's longest streak versus the Bears since 1997. Texas Tech shares the honor with Oklahoma who won five straight over Baylor during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
"I definitely think it helped us that we were able to beat them last week," Masi said. "It gave us a little bit of extra confidence knowing that. That's five in a row against Baylor. The guys are pretty pumped at this point. They have a lot of respect for that team, and the deal we've done is pretty special. All different matchups except at No. 1 because they moved their lineup around. I think our guys at one through four did it for us. I think the key was we were able to get leads which made them have to play desperate from behind, and we just wouldn't let up."
The Red Raiders advance to face No. 8 Oklahoma State on Friday in the semifinals. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. CT with live video courtesy of FloTennis.com, a subscription-based stream. Live match updates also will be available @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
No. 29 Cailleau used a pair of late surges to tuck away a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against No. 14 Juan Benitez on the No. 1 singles line. He fired off three of the last four games of the opening set followed by the last two games of set two to push the Red Raiders ahead 3-2. It was Cailleau's team-leading fifth victory over a ranked opponent during the dual match season.
"Jolan's been really tough all year, and I think he's finally back to playing like he had been during the fall," Masi said. "He feels very comfortable in the position he's in right now. He's been doing a great job. To play a guy like Benitez, and to beat him as handedly as he did, that just gave him more momentum going forward."
Moments later, Curry rattled off a 6-4, 7-6 (4) over Jimmy Bendeck for the clincher at the No. 4 position. Curry jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the second set tiebreaker. At 6-4, Curry ripped a forehand up the line to end an 11-shot rally and vault Texas Tech to the winner's circle.
The only other time Texas Tech has won matches during consecutive seasons at the Big 12 Championships was in 2001 and 2002.
"It was huge (to win the second set tiebreaker)," Curry said. "Coming in, we had some confidence because we just beat Baylor last week. We really like to compete against Baylor. We're always up for a challenge. Singles was big. I got up 2-0 (in the second set), but then I went down 3-2. Last week, I started cramping in the third set so I knew I had to get some revenge this week and try as hard as I can for the rest of the team."
Baylor struck first in singles action courtesy of Will Little and Constantin Frantzen at the bottom of the lineup. Little defeated Carlos DiLaura by a 6-4, 6-0 score line whereas Frantzen took down Jackson Cobb by a 6-3, 6-2 margin to make it 2-1 in favor of the Bears.
The Baylor lead was short-lived as Alex Sendegeya grinded out a 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 59 Johannes Schretter in the No. 3 spot. He won the last two games of set one and carried that momentum to fire out to a 4-1 advantage in the second.
When play was halted, No. 79 Bjorn Thomson was knotted up at a set apiece against No. 44 Max Tchoutakian on court two. Thomson claimed a 6-4 win in the first, while Tchoutakian answered with a 12-10 victory during the second-set tiebreaker.
The Red Raiders started fast in doubles behind Cobb and Sendegeya who raced out to a 5-2 lead over Frantzen and Tchoutakian in the No. 3 slot. Baylor stayed alive with back-to-back games, but Cobb held his service game to close out the 6-4 win.
After splitting the first eight games, No. 13 Curry and Thomson used a strong finishing kick to outlast No. 17 Benitez and Little in a hard-fought 6-4 decision on court one.
Cailleau and DiLaura were on-serve and locked in a 6-5 battle with No. 86 Bendeck and Schretter when doubles was stopped.
"Doubles is crucial for anybody, let alone for us," Masi said. "We've started to play a lot better doubles, and we're kind of clicking there. Again, we were able to build leads. The guys at two doubles did a great job getting up a break early on, and we again made them play from behind. That's a big thing when you're playing a team like Baylor because they like to play with a lot of momentum and play quick."
Texas Tech meets No. 8 Oklahoma State during Friday's semifinal round at the 2017 Big 12 Championships. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT with live video courtesy of FloTennis.com, a subscription-based stream. Live match updates will be available @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
The Red Raiders have dropped back-to-back matchups to the Cowboys under Masi.
"The guys know it, and we know it that our backs are against the wall," Masi said. "We have nowhere else to go but forward. If we lose, we're done. I said it the other day, 'Win or go home' attitude. That's the mentality we're playing with. Hopefully, we can just keep duplicating the effort and the level of intensity that we are bringing out to every match. Again, we have to come out and play well in doubles. Oklahoma State is a very good doubles team. If we can do that and get into the match, anything goes from there."
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/Techmenstennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
No. 41 Texas Tech 4, No. 6 Baylor 2
April 27, 2017 – Headington Family Tennis Center (Norman, Oklahoma)
Singles
1 – No. 29 Jolan Cailleau (TTU) defeats No. 14 Juan Benitez (BU): 6-3, 6-3
2 – No. 79 Bjorn Thomson (TTU) vs. No. 44 Max Tchoutakian (BU): 6-4, 6-7 (10), unfinished
3 – Alex Sendegeya (TTU) No. 59 Johannes Schretter (BU): 6-4, 6-3
4 – Connor Curry (TTU) defeats Jimmy Bendeck (BU): 6-4, 7-6 (4)
5 – Will Little (BU) defeats Carlos DiLaura (TTU): 6-4, 6-0
6 – Constantin Frantzen (BU) defeats Jackson Cobb (TTU): 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 6, 1, 3, 4
Doubles
1 – No. 13 Connor Curry/Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats No. 17 Juan Benitez/Will Little (BU): 6-4
2 – Jolan Cailleau/Carlos DiLaura (TTU) vs. No. 86 Jimmy Bendeck/Johannes Schretter (BU): 6-5, unfinished
3 – Jackson Cobb/Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Constantin Frantzen/Max Tchoutakian (BU): 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 2
2017 Big 12 Championships – First Round
Texas Tech: 12-14; National Ranking: No. 41
Baylor: 21-7; National Ranking: No. 6
The Red Raiders (12-14) collected their fifth consecutive victory over Baylor (21-7) under second-year head coach Brett Masi. The five-game run matches the nation's longest streak versus the Bears since 1997. Texas Tech shares the honor with Oklahoma who won five straight over Baylor during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
"I definitely think it helped us that we were able to beat them last week," Masi said. "It gave us a little bit of extra confidence knowing that. That's five in a row against Baylor. The guys are pretty pumped at this point. They have a lot of respect for that team, and the deal we've done is pretty special. All different matchups except at No. 1 because they moved their lineup around. I think our guys at one through four did it for us. I think the key was we were able to get leads which made them have to play desperate from behind, and we just wouldn't let up."
The Red Raiders advance to face No. 8 Oklahoma State on Friday in the semifinals. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. CT with live video courtesy of FloTennis.com, a subscription-based stream. Live match updates also will be available @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
No. 29 Cailleau used a pair of late surges to tuck away a 6-3, 6-3 triumph against No. 14 Juan Benitez on the No. 1 singles line. He fired off three of the last four games of the opening set followed by the last two games of set two to push the Red Raiders ahead 3-2. It was Cailleau's team-leading fifth victory over a ranked opponent during the dual match season.
"Jolan's been really tough all year, and I think he's finally back to playing like he had been during the fall," Masi said. "He feels very comfortable in the position he's in right now. He's been doing a great job. To play a guy like Benitez, and to beat him as handedly as he did, that just gave him more momentum going forward."
Moments later, Curry rattled off a 6-4, 7-6 (4) over Jimmy Bendeck for the clincher at the No. 4 position. Curry jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the second set tiebreaker. At 6-4, Curry ripped a forehand up the line to end an 11-shot rally and vault Texas Tech to the winner's circle.
The only other time Texas Tech has won matches during consecutive seasons at the Big 12 Championships was in 2001 and 2002.
"It was huge (to win the second set tiebreaker)," Curry said. "Coming in, we had some confidence because we just beat Baylor last week. We really like to compete against Baylor. We're always up for a challenge. Singles was big. I got up 2-0 (in the second set), but then I went down 3-2. Last week, I started cramping in the third set so I knew I had to get some revenge this week and try as hard as I can for the rest of the team."
Baylor struck first in singles action courtesy of Will Little and Constantin Frantzen at the bottom of the lineup. Little defeated Carlos DiLaura by a 6-4, 6-0 score line whereas Frantzen took down Jackson Cobb by a 6-3, 6-2 margin to make it 2-1 in favor of the Bears.
The Baylor lead was short-lived as Alex Sendegeya grinded out a 6-4, 6-3 victory over No. 59 Johannes Schretter in the No. 3 spot. He won the last two games of set one and carried that momentum to fire out to a 4-1 advantage in the second.
When play was halted, No. 79 Bjorn Thomson was knotted up at a set apiece against No. 44 Max Tchoutakian on court two. Thomson claimed a 6-4 win in the first, while Tchoutakian answered with a 12-10 victory during the second-set tiebreaker.
The Red Raiders started fast in doubles behind Cobb and Sendegeya who raced out to a 5-2 lead over Frantzen and Tchoutakian in the No. 3 slot. Baylor stayed alive with back-to-back games, but Cobb held his service game to close out the 6-4 win.
After splitting the first eight games, No. 13 Curry and Thomson used a strong finishing kick to outlast No. 17 Benitez and Little in a hard-fought 6-4 decision on court one.
Cailleau and DiLaura were on-serve and locked in a 6-5 battle with No. 86 Bendeck and Schretter when doubles was stopped.
"Doubles is crucial for anybody, let alone for us," Masi said. "We've started to play a lot better doubles, and we're kind of clicking there. Again, we were able to build leads. The guys at two doubles did a great job getting up a break early on, and we again made them play from behind. That's a big thing when you're playing a team like Baylor because they like to play with a lot of momentum and play quick."
Texas Tech meets No. 8 Oklahoma State during Friday's semifinal round at the 2017 Big 12 Championships. First serve is scheduled for 10 a.m. CT with live video courtesy of FloTennis.com, a subscription-based stream. Live match updates will be available @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
The Red Raiders have dropped back-to-back matchups to the Cowboys under Masi.
"The guys know it, and we know it that our backs are against the wall," Masi said. "We have nowhere else to go but forward. If we lose, we're done. I said it the other day, 'Win or go home' attitude. That's the mentality we're playing with. Hopefully, we can just keep duplicating the effort and the level of intensity that we are bringing out to every match. Again, we have to come out and play well in doubles. Oklahoma State is a very good doubles team. If we can do that and get into the match, anything goes from there."
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans can also follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/Techmenstennis and @TexasTechTennis on Twitter.
No. 41 Texas Tech 4, No. 6 Baylor 2
April 27, 2017 – Headington Family Tennis Center (Norman, Oklahoma)
Singles
1 – No. 29 Jolan Cailleau (TTU) defeats No. 14 Juan Benitez (BU): 6-3, 6-3
2 – No. 79 Bjorn Thomson (TTU) vs. No. 44 Max Tchoutakian (BU): 6-4, 6-7 (10), unfinished
3 – Alex Sendegeya (TTU) No. 59 Johannes Schretter (BU): 6-4, 6-3
4 – Connor Curry (TTU) defeats Jimmy Bendeck (BU): 6-4, 7-6 (4)
5 – Will Little (BU) defeats Carlos DiLaura (TTU): 6-4, 6-0
6 – Constantin Frantzen (BU) defeats Jackson Cobb (TTU): 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 6, 1, 3, 4
Doubles
1 – No. 13 Connor Curry/Bjorn Thomson (TTU) defeats No. 17 Juan Benitez/Will Little (BU): 6-4
2 – Jolan Cailleau/Carlos DiLaura (TTU) vs. No. 86 Jimmy Bendeck/Johannes Schretter (BU): 6-5, unfinished
3 – Jackson Cobb/Alex Sendegeya (TTU) defeats Constantin Frantzen/Max Tchoutakian (BU): 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 2
2017 Big 12 Championships – First Round
Texas Tech: 12-14; National Ranking: No. 41
Baylor: 21-7; National Ranking: No. 6
Players Mentioned
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