Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Friday, February 10
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5 PM
Middle Tennessee
7
vs
0
Rice
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2
#1 Singles Match
12
Trinity Grear / 0 [RICE]
66
77
#2 Singles Match
12
Emir Sendogan / 0 [RICE]
02
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Wes Barnett / 0 [RICE]
45
67
#4 Singles Match
123
Santiago Navarro / 0 [RICE]
161
646
#5 Singles Match
12
Kabeer Kapasi / 0 [RICE]
24
66
#6 Singles Match
123
Campbell Salmon / 0 [RICE]
265
6410
Order of Finish:
2,5,3,4,6,1
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Photo by: Cameron Wimberly/MT Athletic Communications
Francisco Rocha’s incredible play helps lead #21 MTSU men’s tennis team to 7-0 win over Rice
2/10/2023 8:42:00 PM | Men's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Individual accomplishments certainly aren't what the #21 Middle Tennessee Blue Raider men's tennis team are after. However, there's certain spots in a match where the work of an individual can spark something for the rest of the team. Senior Francisco Rocha did just that with a SportsCenter Top 10 worthy play in doubles to help lead MTSU to a 7-0 win over Conference USA foe Rice on Friday night in the Adams Tennis Complex.
Francisco Rocha's incredible save on a ball that floated just over Brostrem Poulsen's head gave the Blue Raiders number one pairing the momentum to take a 6-3 win to start off doubles play.
Realizing that the shot was definitely in bounds, Rocha sprinted hard over his left shoulder at a ball destined for the corner and twisted his body to forehand a ball while he was sliding to the ground. As the Portugese native continued sliding into the corner netting, the ball landed just in bounds on the Rice side of the net, prompting a loud pop from the home fans and a look of disbelief on Rocha's face as he sat in the corner.
Play was much tighter on two and three, with Stijn Slump and Pavel Motl taking it 7-5 on court two for Middle Tennessee while freshman Shu Matsuoka and Ondrej Horak stayed alive on three, getting it to a 5-3 lead in a tiebreak when the two's clinched for the Blue Raiders.
After clinching the huge doubles point, Rocha and Ondrej Horak started off hot in singles, with both winning by scores of 6-0, 6-2 and 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 . The #122 ranked Rocha improved to 5-1 and Horak remains undefeated at 8-0. Newly ranked #80 Stijn Slump grinded out a 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak), 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak) win on court one while #91 Oskar Brostrem Poulsen won 6-4, 7-5 on three to clinch the match. Conference USA player of the week Pavel Motl continued rolling with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win on six and freshman Marcel Kamrowski impressed with a 6-2, 6-3 win on five over one of the top 100 recruits in the country in Rice's Kabeer Kapasi.
Head Coach Jimmy Borendame
On getting off to a 1-0 start in conference play: "It was a great job by the boys. The flow of the match was interesting. We took control early in doubles and then we went through a lull where we let them up for air. We found a way to regroup and win the doubles point and continued to steamroll through the rest of the match."
On Rocha's incredible play and the spark it provided for the rest of the night: "I felt bad going over to congratulate him during the match, but it just deserved that kind of recognition. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. As the coach, I don't want to encourage crazy shots. I'm old school with percentages and high-probability shots and playing the right way, but we have such talent on our team so my job is to help reel that in. That shot definitely got the crowd going and it was exactly what we needed tonight."
On the big upcoming match with Virginia Tech on Sunday: "As I look at the schedule, all of our upcoming matches are huge. After Virginia Tech, we have Oklahoma State, SMU and a bunch of others. We want the hits to keep coming. Virginia Tech is a very well coached team. I used to be an assistant coach there, so it's like another home to me. It's a tough place to play. It's dark, plays fast and has not a lot of room in the back. It'll be a great test."
Player's Perspective: Graduate Francisco Rocha
On his incredible shot in doubles: "So I knew (Oskar Brostrom Poulsen) was going to get lobbed so I was trying to get back. Because we're indoor, it's hard to lob back with the roof. We were winning, so I decided to try the trick shot going around the ball. I knew that it cleared the net and was still in, so I tried to put some slice on it. It was crazy. Physically, it's pretty much impossible to hit that shot, but I made it. It was by far the best shot of my entire life."
On the importance of getting the crowd involved early at home: "I heard the crowd go crazy. It was just unbelievable. The energy was so high. I just couldn't believe that I hit the shot. It was a key factor in the match. It's easy to get the crowd going when you can hit a big shot. The entire building felt the energy. It was just awesome to share that with the crowd."
On what has helped him and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen to the #23 ranking in doubles: "We're buddies. We have great chemistry off the court, which makes things great on the court. We've had some hard matches and we're trying to do our best. We're starting to see the work we did in the fall reflect on what we're doing now. I'm proud of how we're playing right now."
DOUBLES
1. #23 Francisco Rocha/ Oskar Brostrom Poulsen (MTSU) def. Wes Barnett/ Trinity Grear (Rice) 6-3
2. Stijn Slump/ Pavel Motl (MTSU) def. Santiago Navarro/ Campbell Salmon (Rice) 7-5
3. Ondrej Horak/ Shu Matsuoka (MTSU) vs. Kabeer Kapasi/ Eduardo Morais (Rice) 6-6 (5-3 tiebreak) unf.
Order of finish (1, 2)
SINGLES
1. #80 Stijn Slump (MTSU) def. Trinity Grear (Rice) 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak), 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak)
2. #122 Francisco Rocha (MTSU) def. Emir Sendogan 6-0, 6-2
3. #91 Oskar Brostrom Poulsen (MTSU) def. Wes Barnett (Rice) 6-4, 7-5
4. Ondrej Horak (MTSU) def. Santiago Navarro (Rice) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
5. Marcel Kamrowski (MTSU) def. Kabeer Kapasi (Rice) 6-2, 6-4
6. Pavel Motl (MTSU) def. Campbell Salmon (Rice) 6-2, 4-6, 10-5
Order of finish (2, 5, 3, 4, 6, 1)
NEXT UP
Middle Tennessee travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, this Sunday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at 10:00 CST.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee men's tennis on social media on Facebook (BlueRaiderMensTennis), Twitter (MT_MensTennis) and Instagram (MT_MensTennis).
Francisco Rocha's incredible save on a ball that floated just over Brostrem Poulsen's head gave the Blue Raiders number one pairing the momentum to take a 6-3 win to start off doubles play.
Realizing that the shot was definitely in bounds, Rocha sprinted hard over his left shoulder at a ball destined for the corner and twisted his body to forehand a ball while he was sliding to the ground. As the Portugese native continued sliding into the corner netting, the ball landed just in bounds on the Rice side of the net, prompting a loud pop from the home fans and a look of disbelief on Rocha's face as he sat in the corner.
.@Francis88903160 with the @SportsCenter top 10 worthy play that helped lead the #23 Blue Raider one doubles pairing to a 6-3 triumph to start our night! 💪🎾#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/pPZJFG5ETb
— MT Men's Tennis (@MT_MensTennis) February 11, 2023
Play was much tighter on two and three, with Stijn Slump and Pavel Motl taking it 7-5 on court two for Middle Tennessee while freshman Shu Matsuoka and Ondrej Horak stayed alive on three, getting it to a 5-3 lead in a tiebreak when the two's clinched for the Blue Raiders.
After clinching the huge doubles point, Rocha and Ondrej Horak started off hot in singles, with both winning by scores of 6-0, 6-2 and 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 . The #122 ranked Rocha improved to 5-1 and Horak remains undefeated at 8-0. Newly ranked #80 Stijn Slump grinded out a 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak), 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak) win on court one while #91 Oskar Brostrem Poulsen won 6-4, 7-5 on three to clinch the match. Conference USA player of the week Pavel Motl continued rolling with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win on six and freshman Marcel Kamrowski impressed with a 6-2, 6-3 win on five over one of the top 100 recruits in the country in Rice's Kabeer Kapasi.
Head Coach Jimmy Borendame
On getting off to a 1-0 start in conference play: "It was a great job by the boys. The flow of the match was interesting. We took control early in doubles and then we went through a lull where we let them up for air. We found a way to regroup and win the doubles point and continued to steamroll through the rest of the match."
On Rocha's incredible play and the spark it provided for the rest of the night: "I felt bad going over to congratulate him during the match, but it just deserved that kind of recognition. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. As the coach, I don't want to encourage crazy shots. I'm old school with percentages and high-probability shots and playing the right way, but we have such talent on our team so my job is to help reel that in. That shot definitely got the crowd going and it was exactly what we needed tonight."
On the big upcoming match with Virginia Tech on Sunday: "As I look at the schedule, all of our upcoming matches are huge. After Virginia Tech, we have Oklahoma State, SMU and a bunch of others. We want the hits to keep coming. Virginia Tech is a very well coached team. I used to be an assistant coach there, so it's like another home to me. It's a tough place to play. It's dark, plays fast and has not a lot of room in the back. It'll be a great test."
Player's Perspective: Graduate Francisco Rocha
On his incredible shot in doubles: "So I knew (Oskar Brostrom Poulsen) was going to get lobbed so I was trying to get back. Because we're indoor, it's hard to lob back with the roof. We were winning, so I decided to try the trick shot going around the ball. I knew that it cleared the net and was still in, so I tried to put some slice on it. It was crazy. Physically, it's pretty much impossible to hit that shot, but I made it. It was by far the best shot of my entire life."
On the importance of getting the crowd involved early at home: "I heard the crowd go crazy. It was just unbelievable. The energy was so high. I just couldn't believe that I hit the shot. It was a key factor in the match. It's easy to get the crowd going when you can hit a big shot. The entire building felt the energy. It was just awesome to share that with the crowd."
On what has helped him and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen to the #23 ranking in doubles: "We're buddies. We have great chemistry off the court, which makes things great on the court. We've had some hard matches and we're trying to do our best. We're starting to see the work we did in the fall reflect on what we're doing now. I'm proud of how we're playing right now."
DOUBLES
1. #23 Francisco Rocha/ Oskar Brostrom Poulsen (MTSU) def. Wes Barnett/ Trinity Grear (Rice) 6-3
2. Stijn Slump/ Pavel Motl (MTSU) def. Santiago Navarro/ Campbell Salmon (Rice) 7-5
3. Ondrej Horak/ Shu Matsuoka (MTSU) vs. Kabeer Kapasi/ Eduardo Morais (Rice) 6-6 (5-3 tiebreak) unf.
Order of finish (1, 2)
SINGLES
1. #80 Stijn Slump (MTSU) def. Trinity Grear (Rice) 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak), 7-6 (7-2 tiebreak)
2. #122 Francisco Rocha (MTSU) def. Emir Sendogan 6-0, 6-2
3. #91 Oskar Brostrom Poulsen (MTSU) def. Wes Barnett (Rice) 6-4, 7-5
4. Ondrej Horak (MTSU) def. Santiago Navarro (Rice) 6-1, 4-6, 6-1
5. Marcel Kamrowski (MTSU) def. Kabeer Kapasi (Rice) 6-2, 6-4
6. Pavel Motl (MTSU) def. Campbell Salmon (Rice) 6-2, 4-6, 10-5
Order of finish (2, 5, 3, 4, 6, 1)
NEXT UP
Middle Tennessee travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, this Sunday to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies at 10:00 CST.
FOLLOW THE BLUE RAIDERS
Follow Middle Tennessee men's tennis on social media on Facebook (BlueRaiderMensTennis), Twitter (MT_MensTennis) and Instagram (MT_MensTennis).
.@CoachJimmyB on the importance of getting #BlueRaider nation involved early in the match courtesy of big moments like @Francis88903160's big shot in doubles play#BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/FmDaBXM2H0
— MT Men's Tennis (@MT_MensTennis) February 11, 2023
.@Francis88903160 on his @SportsCenter top 10 worthy shot in doubles to help the #BlueRaiders to a huge 7-0 win to start conference play #BLUEnited pic.twitter.com/JAa3XqEsn2
— MT Men's Tennis (@MT_MensTennis) February 11, 2023
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