The Texas men’s tennis team traveled to Fort Worth, Texas this weekend for the round-robin TCU Invitational. The Longhorns earned 19 victories in 24 singles matches and 12 doubles matches.
Along with host TCU, Texas competed against Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. This was the first time the Longhorns went head-to-head with other Big 12 opponents in 2020, as the spring season was canceled before conference play began.
Texas earned four singles victories from freshman Micah Braswell, sophomore Jacob Bullard, sophomore Eshan Talluri and sophomore Cleeve Harper to kick off the tournament Friday. Senior Payton Holden and sophomore Siem Woldeab, Braswell and Bullard and freshman Leighton Allen and Talluri earned three doubles victories.
Freshman Micah Braswell earned co-championship of the tournament with a 3-0 record in singles and 2-1 in doubles for his second tournament championship this season.
“Overall, it was a very positive weekend for us. I was most pleased with our improved doubles play from our first tournament, and of course with Micah Braswell winning his second championship in as many tournaments,” head coach Bruce Berque said. “Micah is off to a fantastic start to his college career, and played exceptional tennis this weekend.”
Sophomores Evin McDonald and Eliot Spizzirri did not compete in the tournament due to minor injuries, but that didn’t stop the rest of Texas’ underclassmen from shining. The unit earned 13 of the Longhorns’ 19 victories this weekend.
The Longhorns earned five singles victories Saturday from Holden, Braswell, Woldeab, junior Chih Chi Huang, and Bullard.
Singles proved to be a struggle for Texas on Sunday, with Braswell’s win the sole victory out of eight matches on the day. The Longhorns turned things around in doubles, where they won three of four matches.
“Many of our guys showed progress, and we hope to build on this in the final three weeks of our fall season of competition,” Berque said. “Our team is young, but also mature with respect to their work habits. I know they are excited to be able to compete again, and especially to represent The University of Texas.”
The Longhorns will head to Waco for the ITA Texas Regional Championship on Oct. 23.
