University of Tennessee Athletics
Thursday, May 16
Stillwater, OK
5:00 PM
University of Tennessee
vs
#3 Texas
Men's Tennis Central: #7 [7] Tennessee vs. #3 [2] Texas
May 15, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STILLWATER, Okla. – The seventh-seeded Tennessee men's tennis team is geared up to face No. 2 seed Texas in the NCAA Championships quarterfinals Thursday, May 16 at Greenwood Tennis Center. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT).
Live stats will be provided and can be found here. CrackedRacquets will be providing coverage on ESPN+ here.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vols cranked out a gritty 4-3 win over No. 10 Florida State in the Super Regionals, sparked by a comeback in singles play. After dropping the doubles point, Shunsuke Mitsui put UT on the board, routing Loris Pourroy, 6-2, 6-2, on court two. The Seminoles gained a 3-1 advantage with wins on courts six and five.
The Vols began to chip away at Florida State's lead, starting with top-ranked Johannus Monday's 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 4 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc atop the lineup. Filip Pieczonka cranked out a three-set triumph over Jamie Connel, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, on court three to tie the score at 3-all.
Angel Diaz battled Youcef Rihane at the No. 4 spot, dropping his first set in a tiebreaker 6-7(7), then rebounding to take his second set, 6-4. The two exchanged points in the third set, resulting in a tiebreaker at 6-all. The graduate fought to win 7-5 to send Tennessee to the Elite Eight.
SCOUTING TEXAS
Texas (25-3) is on a 16-match winning streak, notching a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. The Longhorns were crowned Big 12 regular season and tournament championships, sweeping TCU, 4-0, in the tournament final on April 21.
Second-ranked Eliot Spizzirri holds a 19-3 mark at the No. 1 singles position, tallying a 14-4 record against ranked opponents this season. Micah Braswell, ranked fifth in the nation, is undefeated (17-0) at the No. 2 spot.
In doubles, Spizzirri and his partner, Siem Woldeab, are 8-5 as Texas' top pair, holding a 5-2 record vs. ranked duos in 2024. Perrier-Yves Bailly and Eshan Talluri are 11-4 at the No. 2 position.
VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#1 - Johannus Monday
#37 - Shunsuke Mitsui
Doubles
#6 - Johannus Monday/Angel Diaz
#77 - Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka
LONGHORNS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#2 - Eliot Spizzirri
#5 - Micah Braswell
#40 - Gilles-Arnaud Bailly
#56 - Jonah Braswell
#90 - Pierre-Yves Bailly
Doubles
#24 - Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper
#26 - Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab
VOLS ARE ELITE
UT holds an 8-3 program record in the NCAA Championships quarterfinals round. The last time Tennessee competed in the Round of Eight was in 2022, recording a 4-3 underdog win over third-seeded Baylor to advance to the semifinals.
JO AND ANGEL AT NO. 1
The sixth-ranked duo of Monday and Diaz hold a 19-5 record as a pair in 2023-24 and are 17-5 atop UT's lineup. The two boast an impressive 11-2 mark against ranked opponents this season. Additionally, Tennessee is 13-2 when the two win in doubles action.
MONDAY CONTINUES TO MAKE MOVES
With his straight-set win over FSU's No. 4 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc, top-ranked Monday boasts a stellar 11-0 career record against opponents ranked inside the top 10. The senior is projected to face the Longhorns' No. 2 Eliot Spizzirri in the quarterfinals on Thursday, and a win would tie his highest-ranked win over an opponent in his collegiate career. Monday previously beat Georgia's second-ranked Ethan Quinn in 2023.
POETRY IN MO-SHUN
Mitsui has been exceptional at the No. 2 singles position, tallying a 20-5 mark in dual match action while notching a 9-2 record against ranked opponents this season.
UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the NCAA Championships semifinals on Saturday, May 18, and face the winner of Virginia-Wake Forest. First serve is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT).
Live stats will be provided and can be found here. CrackedRacquets will be providing coverage on ESPN+ here.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vols cranked out a gritty 4-3 win over No. 10 Florida State in the Super Regionals, sparked by a comeback in singles play. After dropping the doubles point, Shunsuke Mitsui put UT on the board, routing Loris Pourroy, 6-2, 6-2, on court two. The Seminoles gained a 3-1 advantage with wins on courts six and five.
The Vols began to chip away at Florida State's lead, starting with top-ranked Johannus Monday's 6-4, 7-5 victory over No. 4 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc atop the lineup. Filip Pieczonka cranked out a three-set triumph over Jamie Connel, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, on court three to tie the score at 3-all.
Angel Diaz battled Youcef Rihane at the No. 4 spot, dropping his first set in a tiebreaker 6-7(7), then rebounding to take his second set, 6-4. The two exchanged points in the third set, resulting in a tiebreaker at 6-all. The graduate fought to win 7-5 to send Tennessee to the Elite Eight.
SCOUTING TEXAS
Texas (25-3) is on a 16-match winning streak, notching a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. The Longhorns were crowned Big 12 regular season and tournament championships, sweeping TCU, 4-0, in the tournament final on April 21.
Second-ranked Eliot Spizzirri holds a 19-3 mark at the No. 1 singles position, tallying a 14-4 record against ranked opponents this season. Micah Braswell, ranked fifth in the nation, is undefeated (17-0) at the No. 2 spot.
In doubles, Spizzirri and his partner, Siem Woldeab, are 8-5 as Texas' top pair, holding a 5-2 record vs. ranked duos in 2024. Perrier-Yves Bailly and Eshan Talluri are 11-4 at the No. 2 position.
VOLS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#1 - Johannus Monday
#37 - Shunsuke Mitsui
Doubles
#6 - Johannus Monday/Angel Diaz
#77 - Shunsuke Mitsui/Filip Pieczonka
LONGHORNS IN THE RANKINGS
Singles
#2 - Eliot Spizzirri
#5 - Micah Braswell
#40 - Gilles-Arnaud Bailly
#56 - Jonah Braswell
#90 - Pierre-Yves Bailly
Doubles
#24 - Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper
#26 - Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab
VOLS ARE ELITE
UT holds an 8-3 program record in the NCAA Championships quarterfinals round. The last time Tennessee competed in the Round of Eight was in 2022, recording a 4-3 underdog win over third-seeded Baylor to advance to the semifinals.
JO AND ANGEL AT NO. 1
The sixth-ranked duo of Monday and Diaz hold a 19-5 record as a pair in 2023-24 and are 17-5 atop UT's lineup. The two boast an impressive 11-2 mark against ranked opponents this season. Additionally, Tennessee is 13-2 when the two win in doubles action.
MONDAY CONTINUES TO MAKE MOVES
With his straight-set win over FSU's No. 4 Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc, top-ranked Monday boasts a stellar 11-0 career record against opponents ranked inside the top 10. The senior is projected to face the Longhorns' No. 2 Eliot Spizzirri in the quarterfinals on Thursday, and a win would tie his highest-ranked win over an opponent in his collegiate career. Monday previously beat Georgia's second-ranked Ethan Quinn in 2023.
POETRY IN MO-SHUN
Mitsui has been exceptional at the No. 2 singles position, tallying a 20-5 mark in dual match action while notching a 9-2 record against ranked opponents this season.
UP NEXT
The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the NCAA Championships semifinals on Saturday, May 18, and face the winner of Virginia-Wake Forest. First serve is slated for 2:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. CT).
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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