Saturday, 03/07/2009

FORT WORTH—TCU earned its third straight victory Saturday, 4-3, over UT San Antonio at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.

The win moved TCU to 5-7 on the season, while UTSA dropped to 4-7.

The Horned Frogs earned points in the first four completed singles matches to earn the team win after dropping the doubles point for the first time in eight matches.

Freshman Slah Mbarek, playing for the first time at No. 1 singles, clinched the Frogs’ team win with a three-set victory over Rodrigo Morgado, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0. The 93rd-ranked Mbarek and his teammates in the Frog singles lineup each were bumped up one spot from their usual positioning while sophomore Emanuel Brighiu, TCU’s usual No. 1 player, sat out singles play because of injury.

Sophomore Casey Powers notched a win at No. 5 singles for his first victory in only his fourth outing of the spring, 6-1, 6-1, over Max Stratmann, while fellow sophomore Zach Nichols persevered through three sets to down Pedro Zanotelli at the No. 3 slot, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. No. 80-ranked Kriegler Brink recorded TCU’s other singles win in the No. 2 position after his opponent, Andre Moreira, was forced to retire. Brink had taken the first set by a 6-0 score.

Junior Kelubia Mabatah, playing at No. 6 singles for only his third appearance of the spring, dropped a three-setter to Jorge Delgado, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. UTSA also took the point at No. 4 singles with Daniel Moreiras downing junior Adrian Simon, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2.

The Roadrunners became the first TCU opponent to claim the doubles point in the last eight outings after taking two of three matches. Brink and Mbarek, who entered the weekend ranked 26th nationally in doubles, continued their hot play this spring while improving to 7-1 with an 8-3 win over Zanotelli and Stratman.

Delgado and Moreiras recorded one-half to UTSA’s doubles victory with an 8-5 winner over Nichols and sophomore Jack Seider. Despite being held out of singles competition, Brighiu did play in doubles with Simon, but fell to Morgado and Moreira in a very close match that sealed the point for UTSA, 9-8 (8-6).

“UTSA played really, really well today,” head coach Dave Borelli said. “I have to tip my hat to their team and coach. Another win is good for our team. Casey (Powers) played well for us. It’s nice to see him back in form again, because we need him.

“We were able to give a couple of our other players a chance to play today, and it’s hard for them because they don’t seem to get the opportunity to play as much as we would like them to. I thought they showed good effort out there.”

TCU takes Sunday off before returning to the courts Monday against No. 38 Duke at 2 p.m.

Results
No. 43 TCU 4, UT San Antonio 3
March 7, 2009
Fort Worth, Texas (Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)

Singles
1. #93 Slah Mbarek (TCU) def. Rodrigo Morgado (UTSA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
2. #80 Kriegler Brink (TCU) def. Andre Moreira (UTSA) 6-0, ret.
3. Zach Nichols (TCU) def. Pedro Zanotelli (UTSA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Daniel Moreiras (UTSA) def. Adrian Simon (TCU) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-2
5. Casey Powers (TCU) def. Max Stratmann (UTSA) 6-1, 6-1
6. Jorge Delgado (UTSA) def. Kelubia Mabatah (TCU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-4

Doubles
1. R. Morgado/A. Moreira (UTSA) def. #14 E. Brighiu/A. Simon (TCU) 9-8 (8-6)
2. #26 K. Brink/S. Mbarek (TCU) def. P. Zanotelli/M. Stratmann (UTSA) 8-3
3. J. Delgado/D. Moreiras (UTSA) def. Z. Nichols/J. Seider (TCU) 8-5

Order of finish
Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,5,3,1,6,4)