Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
From Rebuild to Reward: Inside MTSU’s 2026 Journey
5/11/2026 11:45:00 AM | Men's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Opening the 2026 season, Middle Tennessee welcomes back seniors Ondrej Horak and Karim Al-Amin. New additions include transfers Eric Crivei, Birtan Duran, Jonasz Dziopak, Freddy Murray, and freshmen Houston Jacques, Rich LaLance, Santiago Lora, and Antoine Mayoral.
The doubles pair of seniors Al-Amin and Horak was ranked No. 18 in the nation, the program's highest ITA doubles ranking under Head Coach Jimmy Borendame.
Al-Amin capped his MTSU career with an impressive 63-32 singles record and 56-35 in doubles. Horak, a four-year Blue Raider, tallied 92-44 in singles and 89-50 in doubles. Horak and Mayoral formed a dynamic doubles team, going undefeated at 8-0 after debuting together against William & Mary. Duran wrapped up his junior year at 15-6 in singles and 6-6 in doubles. Crivei posted a strong sophomore season with 13-7 in singles and 12-10 in doubles. Murray shines in his senior year with an 18-6 singles record, while Dziopak closed his senior campaign at 12-8 in singles and 13-10 in doubles. Mayoral contributed a 9-3 singles mark and 16-12 in doubles. Altogether, Middle Tennessee boasted a stellar 113-45 singles record and 45-31 in doubles.
Middle Tennessee kicked off the 2026 season in style, dominating a doubleheader against Lipscomb and Tennessee Tech with back-to-back 7-0 sweeps.
In the following week, Middle Tennessee defeated Harvard 6-1 on Tuesday evening at the Adams Tennis Complex, securing the doubles point and winning five of six singles matches. This victory marks Middle Tennessee's first home win over Harvard, as the Crimson had never played in Murfreesboro. It is also the Blue Raiders' first win over Harvard since the 2003 season, when they defeated the then-No. 30 team 4-3 in Montgomery, Alabama.
Riding high, Middle Tennessee notched consecutive 6-1 victories over UAB and Eastern Kentucky, keeping their unbeaten streak alive. Their 5–0 start was the program's best since 2001, chasing the legendary 12–0 run from 2002.
The road brought challenges as Middle Tennessee suffered its first loss, narrowly edged out 4-3 by Vanderbilt, then fell to Indiana. The Blue Raiders bounced back with a gritty 4–3 triumph over Virginia Tech, their first Power Four road win of the season, and returned home to topple Louisville 4-2, boosting their record to 7-2.
Enduring a grueling 10-hour flight delay, the Blue Raiders arrived in Stillwater just hours before their match. Despite capturing the doubles point, they ultimately fell 4-1 to Oklahoma State.
In the Battle of the Boro, Middle Tennessee dazzled fans with a commanding 4-0 sweep of Utah at the Outdoor Tennis Complex. They continued their momentum with a 4-3 win over Old Dominion the next day. The teams last met in the 2021 Conference USA championship, where MTSU secured consecutive Conference USA titles. With everything on the line at 3-3, junior Duran rose to the occasion on court 5. After a narrow first-set tiebreak loss to Aryan Saleh, Duran stormed back to claim the second-set tiebreak and dominated the third set 6-2, clinching a thrilling 4-3 win for Middle Tennessee. To wrap up a statement weekend, Middle Tennessee finished the Battle in the Boro with a decisive 4-1 victory over Rice, completing a clean sweep at the Adams Tennis Complex.
The following Friday at the Adams Tennis Complex, No. 39 Middle Tennessee swept No. 19 Princeton, 7-0. The last time they beat a top-20 team was on March 9, 2023, against #19 Northwestern, 4-3 on the road. Earlier in that same season, Middle Tennessee defeated #19 Duke 4-2 in Winston-Salem, N.C., during the ITA Kickoff Weekend on January 27, 2023. They also recorded a 4-0 win against #19 Arizona on February 25, 2022, during the 74th Annual Blue Gray National Tennis Classic at Lagoon Park Tennis Complex. Back on March 26, 2006, they won 4-3 against #18 Louisville at home.
As we move on to the Conference USA Championship, first-seed Middle Tennessee advanced to the championship match with a 4-0 semifinal win over 5-seed Delaware, then won the title with a 4-2 victory over Liberty at the Outdoor Tennis Complex.
Middle Tennessee secured the Conference USA Championship with a 4-2 win over second-seed Liberty, relying on dominant singles play after dropping the doubles point. Head coach Jimmy Borendame earned his ninth Conference Championship; Horak claimed his fourth CUSA title, and Al-Amin got his third.
After clinching the championship, Middle Tennessee swept the 2026 CUSA Men's Tennis Superlative Awards, with five Blue Raiders receiving All-Conference honors. Borendame was named Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year, bringing his total to seven CUSA Coach of the Year awards (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025, and 2026).
Horak earned Player of the Year, Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship, and recognition as part of the Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship. He also received All-Conference First Team honors in both singles and doubles for the second consecutive year. Mayoral was named Freshman of the Year and honored as part of the Outstanding Doubles Team with Horak. Duran was named Newcomer of the Year and selected for the All-Conference Singles Second Team.
In the NCAA tournament, Middle Tennessee squared off against NC State. Despite a hard-fought effort, the No. 48 MTSU Blue Raiders fell 4-2 to No. 30 NC State Wolfpack in the opening round, ending their postseason journey.
ITA Rankings Recap (2026 Season)
Team Rankings
Feb. 19, 2026 — No. 52
Feb. 24, 2026 — No. 39
March 3, 2026 — No. 33
March 10, 2026 — No. 37
March 17, 2026 — No. 43
March 24, 2026 — No. 43
March 31, 2026 — No. 43
April 7, 2026 — No. 48
April 14, 2026 — No. 48
April 21, 2026 — No. 48
April 30, 2026 — No. 48
Singles Rankings
No. 113 — Karim Al-Amin (Feb. 4, 2026)
No. 115 — Ondrej Horak (Feb. 4, 2026)
Doubles Rankings
No. 18 — Horak / Al-Amin (Nov. 25, 2025)
No. 60 — Horak / Al-Amin (Feb. 4, 2026)
No. 38 — Horak / Al-Amin (Feb. 19, 2026)
No. 80 — Horak / Al-Amin (March 3, 2026)
No. 83 — Horak / Al-Amin (March 17, 2026)
Home record:
19-3 (12-0 before the loss to #27 Pepperdine, March 8th)
2026 CUSA Men's Tennis Athletes of the Week
Jan. 21 Antoine Mayoral, MTSU
Jan. 28 Eric Crivei, MTSU
Feb. 4 Ondrej Horak, MTSU
Feb. 25 Birtan Duran, MTSU
Mar. 4 Ondrej Horak, MTSU
Mar. 18 Karim Al-Amin, MTSU
Apr. 1 Birtan Duran, MTSU
Apr. 14 Eric Crivei, MTSU
2026 CUSA Men's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Jan. 21 Karim Al-Amin & Ondrej Horak, MTSU
Feb.11 Birtan Duran & Antoine Mayoral, MTSU
Feb. 18 Eric Crivei & Jonasz Dziopak, MTSU
Feb. 25 Karim Al-Amin & Ondrej Horak, MTSU
Mar. 4 Karim Al-Amin & Ondrej Horak, MTSU
Apr. 1 Ondrej Horak & Antoine Mayoral, MTSU
Apr. 14 Ondrej Horak & Antoine Mayoral, MTSU
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