Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee Sweeps 2026 CUSA Men’s Tennis Superlative Awards, Places Five on All-Conference Teams
4/28/2026 2:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis
DALLAS, Texas – Middle Tennessee swept the 2026 CUSA Men's Tennis Superlative Awards, with five Blue Raiders named to All-Conference teams, the league announced Tuesday.
Senior Ondrej Horak earned Player of the Year, Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship, Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship and was chosen for the All-Conference First Team in both singles and doubles for the second straight year. In the CUSA Championship, Horak clinched the title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Siwanat Auytayakul on Court 1, giving the Blue Raiders their fourth and deciding point. This victory was Horak's fourth career CUSA title with Middle Tennessee.
Head coach Jimmy Borendame was named Coach of the Year for the third year in a row, bringing his total to seven CUSA Coach of the Year awards (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026). He began the 2026 season with eight new players, four transfers, and four freshmen, and still led the team to his ninth career conference championship between the Sun Belt and CUSA. This year marked his tenth appearance in the conference championship. As the team prepares for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Borendame has 297 career wins and is approaching 300.
Birtan Duran was named Newcomer of the Year and made the All-Conference Singles Second Team. After transferring from North Alabama, where he helped win the program's first ASUN Tournament Championship, the Turkish native played a key role in the Blue Raiders' seventh straight conference title. In the CUSA Championship, Duran beat Liberty's Rodrigo Santiago Arraez 6-1, 1-6, 6-1, giving Middle Tennessee a 2-1 lead. This season, Duran posted a 14-6 record, going 6-4 at Court 3 and 3-0 at Court 2.
Antoine Mayoral was named Freshman of the Year and recognized as part of the Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship. He has a 9-3 singles record and a 15-12 doubles record. Mayoral earned one Player of the Week award and three Doubles Team of the Week honors. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, he is on a five-match singles winning streak and is undefeated in doubles with Ondrej Horak, with seven straight wins.
Karim Al-Amin was named to the All-Conference Singles First Team and All-Conference Doubles First Team for the second straight year. In the CUSA Championships, he claimed his third conference title. This season, he reached a national singles ranking of No. 113 for one week. Al-Amin defeated Delaware's Euan Mackenzie 6-2, 6-2, and the next day secured the third point for Middle Tennessee by beating Benjamin Sparks of Liberty 6-1, 1-6, 6-2, helping the team win its seventh straight title.
Eric Crivei and Jonasz Dziopak were named to the All-Conference Doubles Second Team. Together, they have a 12-9 overall record and have earned one weekly award, with a 10-7 record at Court 2.
UP NEXT:
The Blue Raiders will travel to Athens, Georgia, to face No. 31 NC State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
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Players Mentioned
