April 6, 2005

FORT WORTH, Texas - The top-ranked Baylor men's tennis team won its 20th match this season Wednesday, as the Bears defeated No. 47 TCU, 5-2 at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the TCU campus.

The Bears improve to 20-0, 4-0 this season while snatching their 44th consecutive win. The Horned Frogs fall to 5-12, their 11th loss in a row.

The Horned Frogs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by taking the doubles point. The No. 4-ranked team of Benedikt Dorsch and Matija Zgaga defeated the No. 11 tandem of Rafael Barbu and Fabrizio Sestini 8-5. However, Baylor was unable to take wins on the Nos. 2 & 3 courts, dropping the doubles point to TCU.

The Bears were dominant early in singles play by taking five of six singles points from the Horned Frogs. Matija Zgaga finished first by defeating Radu Barbu in hast fashion 6-0, 6-1. The Bears then took the points on courts two, three and one to give the Bears a 4-1 advantage.

Baylor youngster Vladimir Portnov claimed the last point for the Bears on Wednesday in a three-set battle against Abreu. Portnov, who usually plays in the sixth court, won the first set, but lost the second in a tough tiebreaker. He was able to recover in the super tiebreaker to ultimately take the match 6-2, 6-7, (10-8).

Baylor returns to action on Saturday as the Bears host South Florida at the Baylor Tennis Facility. Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Doubles: 2, 1, 3
1. #4 Dorsch/Zgaga (BU) def. #11 Abreu/Sestini (TCU) 8-5
2. Freitas/Martin (TCU) def. Kokta/Shearer (BU) 8-5
3. Barbu/Tezza(TCU) def. Becker/Jon Reckewey (BU) 9-7

Singles: 4, 2, 3, 1, 5, 6
1. #1 Benedikt Dorsch (BU) def. #31 Fabrizio Sestini (TCU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
2. #28 Benjamin Becker (BU) def. Jacob Martin (TCU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Michal Kokta (BU) def. Jacopo Tezza (TCU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Matija Zgaga (BU) def. Radu Barbu (TCU) 6-0, 6-1
5. Vladimir Portnov (BU) def. Rafael Abreu (TCU) 6-2, 6-7, (10-8)
6. Jordan Freitas (TCU) def. Greg Shearer (BU) 7-5, 3-6, (10-8)

#1 Baylor - 20-0
#47 TCU - 5-12