Singles Play Propels Memphis Into AAC Semifinals

Friday, April 21

Orlando, Fla. / USTA National Campus

8:00 AM

University of Memphis

(8) Temple

Apr 21, 2023 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

ORLANDO – The top-seeded Memphis men's tennis team opened the American Athletic Conference championship Friday with a 4-2 victory over No. 8 Temple at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida.

Memphis advances to Saturday's semifinal against No. 4 SMU. The Tigers and Mustangs will take the court at 11 a.m.

The Tigers (13-6) fell behind in doubles against the Owls (19-5) to start the morning. Harry Rock and Conor Gannon teamed up for a 6-2 victory on court two, but Memphis fell 6-3 at the top position and 6-4 on court three to go into singles action down 1-0.

The response in singles was a dominant showing from the very beginning as five of the six Tigers secured their respective opening sets.

Jeremy Taylor quickly defeated Temple's Thibault Frumholz, 6-3, 6-1, on court five to even the match. Frumholz entered the day 19-1 on the year in dual matches.

As soon as Taylor earned his point, the matches on the first two courts ended in a split. The Owls took the second position just as Pablo Alemany swept his foe 6-4, 6-2 at the top position to keep the match even at 2-2.

Rock then put the Tigers back in front from court four with a 6-2, 6-4 decision before Pau Fanlo secured the Memphis victory with a thriller from his sixth position.

After winning 6-1 in game one, Fanlo and Hussein El Tawil played to a tiebreak. Fanlo trailed 4-2 but continued to battle, winning 7-6(9-7) to advance the Tigers to Saturday's semifinals.

"A great job by our guys," head coach Paul Goebel said. "After not getting the doubles point, we settled in and played well in singles. We knew Temple had won a lot this year and they were very confident, so I couldn't be more pleased to move on to the semifinals."

With a win Saturday against SMU, the Tigers would advance to the championship match for the second year in a row. It would take place at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN+.

RESULTS
(1) Memphis 4, (8) Temple 2

Singles
1. Pablo Alemany (MEM) def. Marin Delmas (TEM) 6-4, 6-2
2. Leo Raquin (TEM) def. Oscar Cutting (MEM) 6-3, 6-4
3. Conor Gannon (MEM) vs. Gregoire Barety (TEM) 7-6(4), 2-6, 0-1, unfinished
4. Harry Rock (MEM) def. Louis Gorregues (TEM) 6-2, 6-4
5. Jeremy Taylor (MEM) def. Thibault Frumholz (TEM) 6-3, 6-1
6. Paul Fanlo (MEM) def. Hussein El Tawin (TEM) 6-1, 7-6(7)

Doubles
1. Leo Raquin/Thibault Frumholz (TEM) def. David Stevenson/Jeremy Taylor (MEM) 6-3
2. Harry Rock/Conor Gannon (MEM) def. Marin Delmas/Gregoire Barety (TEM) 6-2
3. Louis Gorregues/Hussein El Tawil (TEM) def. Oscar Cutting/Pablo Alemany (MEM) 6-4

Match Notes: Cincinnati 8-14 Memphis 9-12
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (5,2,1,4,6)
T-2:35

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