No. 1 Men's Tennis preview: No. 39 Oklahoma
When: Sunday, April 2, 2023, 1 p.m. CT
Where: Texas Tennis Center, Austin, Texas
Team Records: Texas (17-2, 1-0 Big 12), Oklahoma (11-8, 0-1 Big 12)
TV: Longhorn Network (Tyler Denning, pxp; Jon Wiegand, analyst)
Broadcast Digital Link: https://hookem.at/MTN-Watch
Note: Due to the broadcast, there will be no court cam live stream
Live Stats: https://hookem.at/MTN-Stats
Updated Team Stats
Notes
-Oklahoma Series: Texas leads, 32-12
Texas leads the all-time series with Oklahoma, 32-12, and has won eight straight, defeating the Sooners twice in each year in 2018, '19, '21 and '22, including the two last year – a 5-2 non-conference win in Austin and a 7-0 conference victory in Norman. The teams did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic-shortened season. In 2017, Texas played twice in Norman with the first resulting in a 4-3 win during the regular season, and the second going in favor of the Sooners, 4-3, in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. Entering that year, Oklahoma had won nine of the previous 10 meetings, but prior that, Texas won 22 of the first 24. The Sooners' last road win in the series came in 2016 when the teams played at the Polo Tennis Club in Dripping Springs with a 4-0 final for Texas, while the last win on the Longhorns' true home court came in 2012 at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center, 5-2.
Last Four Meetings
#12 Texas 7, #38 Oklahoma 0
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Headington Family Tennis Center • Norman, Okla.
Singles – Order of Finish (4,3,6,2,5,1)
1. #22 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #50 Mason Beiler (OU) 7-5, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (10)
2. #35 Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. Alex Martinez (OU) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
3. #61 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Mark Mandlik (OU) 6-4, 6-3
4. #92 Richard Ciamarra (UT) def. Jordan Hasson (OU) 6-1, 6-2
5. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Justin Schlageter (OU) 6-4, 7-6 (4)
6. Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Welsh Hotard (OU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3,2)
1. #3 Richard Ciamarra/Cleeve Harper (UT) def. #79 Welsh Hotard/Alex Martinez (OU) 6-4
2. #15 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. Mark Mandlik/Baptiste Anselmo (OU) 7-6 (6)
3. Nathan Han/Mason Beiler (OU) def. Chih Chi Huang/Evin McDonald (UT) 6-4
#10 Texas 5, #30 Oklahoma 2
Sunday, March 27, 2022
Texas Tennis Center • Austin, Texas
Singles – Order of Finish (1,5,2,3,4,6)
1. #24 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Alex Martinez (OU) 6-4, 6-1
2. #60 Mason Beiler (OU) def. #19 Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) 6-4, 6-4
3. #66 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. Baptiste Anselmo (OU) 7-6 (5), 6-2
4. #101 Mark Mandlik (OU) def. #47 Richard Ciamarra (UT) 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
5. #85 Siem Woldeab (UT) def. #125 Jordan Hasson (OU) 7-6 (5), 6-2
6. #124 Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Justin Schlageter (OU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5)
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,2)
1. #23 Cleeve Harper/Richard Ciamarra (UT) def. #46 Alex Martinez/Welsh Hotard (OU) 6-4
2. #58 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. Mark Mandlik/Baptiste Anselmo (OU) 7-6 (5)
3. Micah Braswell/Chih Chi Huang (UT) vs. Nathan Han/Mason Beiler (OU) 6-6, unf.
#6 Texas 5, #21 Oklahoma 2
Friday, April 9, 2021
Texas Tennis Center • Austin, Texas
Singles – Order of Finish (2,4,5,6,3,1)
1. #23 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) def. #108 Jake Van Emburgh (OU) 6-7 (3), 6-3, 1-0 (7)
2. #16 Micah Braswell (UT) def. #111 Mason Beiler (OU) 6-1, 6-1
3. Alex Martinez (OU) def. #99 Siem Woldeab (UT) 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3)
4. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Nathan Han (OU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Justin Schlageter (OU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Mark Mandlik (OU) def. Evin McDonald (UT) 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 1-0 (8)
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,1)
1. #12 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. #28 Nathan Han/Alex Martinez (OU) 6-3
2. Cleeve Harper/Chih Chi Huang (UT) vs. Mark Mandlik/Max Stewart (OU) 3-5, unf.
3. Micah Braswell/Payton Holden (UT) def. Matt Rodriguez/Jake Van Emburgh (OU) 6-1
#6 Texas 4, #28 OU 3
Sunday, March 9, 2021
Headington Family Tennis Center • Norman, Okla.
Singles – Order of Finish (6,3,2,4,1,5)
1. Jake Van Emburgh (OU) def. #120 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-1
2. #78 Micah Braswell (UT) def. Alex Martinez (OU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. #69 Mason Beiler (OU) def. Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-3, 7-5
4. Chih Chi Huang (UT) def. Nathan Han (OU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
5. Evin McDonald (UT) def. Justin Schlageter (OU) 7-6 (6), 5-7, 7-5
6. Nevin Arimilli (UT) def. Max Stewart (OU) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,3,1)
1. Alex Martinez/Nathan Han (OU) def. Chih Chi Huang/Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 6-4
2. Cleeve Harper/Micah Braswell (UT) def. Mason Beiler/Max Stewart (OU) 6-1
3. Jake Van Emburgh/Matt Rodriguez (OU) def. Payton Holden/Jacob Bullard (UT) 7-5
-Texas vs. Oklahoma in 2022-23 tournament play
ITA All-American Championships
No. 16 Micah Braswell (UT) def. No. 101 Alex Martinez (OU) 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1
-ITA Team Rankings
Texas was No. 1 in the latest computer rankings released March 28 by the ITA. The ranking marks a return to the top spot for the Longhorns, which they last held in February of 2020. It's also the 72nd-straight week in the top 15 dating back to April 2018. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was No. 39.
-ITA Individual National Rankings
Texas had five listings in the ITA individual rankings that were released March 21 with four in singles and one doubles pair. That included two in the top 30 in singles and one in the top five of doubles.
Texas
Singles
No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri
No. 29 Siem Woldeab
No. 36 Pierre-Yves Bailly
No. 78 Micah Braswell
Doubles
No. 4 Cleeve Harper/Eliot Spizzirri
Oklahoma
Singles
No. 121 Nathan Han
Doubles
N/A
-Trending
Eliot Spizzirri
Spizzirri just earned a Big 12 career record ninth Player of the Week on March 28 after the wins over TCU and USC. He is now 27-4 overall in singles and 14-1 in dual matches, all of which have been at the No. 1 line. He became the first Longhorn since 2015 to ascend to No. 1 in the ITA singles rankings on Feb. 8 and has maintained that since. His only four losses this year have come against Ethan Quinn of Georgia in tournament play, who later reached No. 1, Nishesh Basavareddy of Stanford, who later was ranked No. 2, in the final of the ITA Fall National Championships, and No. 77 Rafa Izquierdo Luque of NC State. Spizzirri lost twice to Quinn in the fall, but later avenged those by defeating him when Quinn was No. 1 in a dual match win over Georgia. Spizzirri is now 20-0 against all ranked singles players, including 14-0 against the top-50, and 9-0 versus the top-25. In doubles, he and Cleeve Harper are 16-11 overall and 11-7 in dual matches, all of those at No. 1, including six top-20 wins. At the ITA Indoor Nationals, Spizzirri was named the Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament Team at No. 1 singles.
Pierre-Yves Bailly
Bailly missed fall play with an injury, but has returned in the spring to post a 9-7 overall record in singles, including 7-6 in dual matches, primarily at No. 2 where he is 6-4. Bailly has won three of his last four matches, including coming up with one of his most impressive wins of the season when he defeated No. 16 Luc Fomba of TCU in straight sets to help Texas defeat the top-ranked Horned Frogs in Fort Worth. He was also leading No. 26 Peter Makk of USC, 7-5, 5-2, when it went unfinished. Bailly's highest ranked win of the season was another straight sets victory over No. 10 Philip Henning of No. 12 Georgia in January. Bailly also clinched matches over No. 18 Arizona, and the Longhorns' other win over a No. 1 when they topped Ohio State at the ITA Indoors. In doubles, Bailly has paired with Siem Woldeab in every dual match, compiling a 10-5 record with all but one of those wins coming at No. 2, while the other was at No. 3. They have also won four of their last five decisions. The duo has combined for two top-50 wins, including the one match at No. 3, which was over No. 43 Jonah Braswell and Lucas Greif of Florida, along with a win against No. 29 Rafa Izquierdo Luque and Joseph Wayand of NC State. They have clinched four doubles points against Florida, Arizona, Wake Forest and Texas A&M.
Micah Braswell
Limited by injury, including missing the last two matches against USC and Oklahoma State, Micah Braswell is 11-10 overall this year and 7-8 in dual matches, primarily at No. 3 where he is 6-5. Of his 11 wins, six have been against ranked opponents, including No. 9 JJ Tracy in the Longhorns' win over No. 1 Ohio State at the ITA Indoors. Braswell also clinched the match against No. 14 Arizona in the ITA Kickoff that sent Texas to the ITA Indoors with a win over No. 117 Gustaf Strom. In doubles, Braswell returned to the lineup with traditional partner Chih Chi Huang at No. 3 first for the match against Arizona in the ITA Kickoff and then for the rematch against the Wildcats in the regular non-conference match on Feb. 12. He has remained in the doubles lineup since then with the exception of the last two due to injury, registering a 5-2 record with Huang that includes three clinches in the second match against Arizona, followed by Michigan and Texas A&M.
Siem Woldeab
Woldeab is 22-8 overall and 11-5 in dual matches this year, playing mostly at No. 4 where he is 7-4. He got off to a blistering start in fall play, winning 11 of his first 12 matches with all but one of the wins coming against top-100 opponents, five of those against top-50 foes and two in the top 15. In dual match play, he is 4-1 against ranked players. In doubles, Woldeab has paired with Pierre-Yves Bailly in every dual match, compiling a 10-5 record with all but one of those wins coming at No. 2, while the other was at No. 3. They have also won four of their last five decisions. The duo has combined for two top-50 wins, including the one match at No. 3 which was over No. 43 Jonah Braswell and Lucas Greif of Florida, along with a win against No. 29 Rafa Izquierdo Luque and Joseph Wayand of NC State. They have clinched four doubles points against Florida, Arizona, Wake Forest and Texas A&M.
Cleeve Harper
Harper has played through injury this season, notching a 13-8 overall record and a 10-4 dual match mark, mostly at No. 5 where he is 8-2. He has missed three singles contests in dual matches, but has played in all 19 in doubles. He and Eliot Spizzirri are 11-7 in those this season with all coming at No. 1, including five top-20 wins. Overall, the duo is 16-11 in doubles contests this year.
Nevin Arimilli
Arimilli has recently emerged as a regular at No. 6 singles line where he is 6-1 in this season, along with winning his two appearances at No. 5. He has played singles in the last six matches, winning all five decisions and clinching a string of three straight against Stanford, NC State and UCF. Against NC State, the overall match came down to his court where he emerged in a third-set tiebreaker after rallying from a 5-3 deficit in the breaker with four-straight points. He has also played in 11 of the last 13 duals.
Chih Chi Huang
Huang was limited in the fall while returning from injury, but began the dual match season at No. 6 singles, also playing some at No. 5 with others out of the lineup, and is 2-3 in duals, winning his first two matches at Florida and against UTSA. He has played in all 19 dual matches in doubles with 18 of those coming at No. 3 where he first paired with Eshan Talluri in six before reuniting the Micah Braswell for the next 10 after playing one earlier contest with Braswell. He has a 5-5 combined record in those and is 5-2 with Braswell, including three clinches in the second match against Arizona, followed by Michigan and Texas A&M. With Braswell injured and out for the last matches against USC and Oklahoma State, he paired with Evin McDonald for a tiebreaker win at No. 3 to help Texas win the doubles point aginst the Trojans, and then clinched the point with McDonald against the Cowboys.
Evin McDonald
McDonald is 12-7 overall in singles this year and 4-3 in duals, all coming at No. 6. He has won his three of his last four matches, including clinches over Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. His highest ranked win came in the fall over No. 113 Wojtek Marek of USC. He saw his first dual match action in doubles, combining with Chih Chi Huang at No. 3 to help secure the point versus USC, and then clinching the point against Oklahoma State.
Eshan Talluri
Talluri has developed his game, especially in doubles, going 8-4 in the fall with Siem Woldeab before moving into the dual match lineup for six of the first seven matches at No. 3 with Chih Chi Huang. He also went 9-5 in singles in tournament play, capped by a straight-sets win over No. 21 Blake Croyder of Georgia at the Miami Spring Invite, 6-1, 6-4.
-Winning the Big 12 opener
Texas won its Big 12 Conference opener, 5-2, over Oklahoma State on March 31 at the Texas Tennis Center. The Longhorns secured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3 and followed with singles victories by Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, Siem Woldeab at No. 3, Evin McDonald at No. 6 for the clinch, and Nevin Arimilli at No. 5.
-Spizzirri sets Big 12 Player of the Week record
Eliot Spizzirri was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week ending March 26, which was the ninth of his career, setting a conference record previously held by former Longhorn Yuya Ito, who had eight. It was also the fourth time he has earned the honor this season. Spizzirri led Texas to a pair 4-1 wins against top-10 foes, including at No. 1 TCU and at home against No. 10 USC. In doing so, he went a combined 4-0 on the top line in singles and doubles with three of those coming over top-35 opponents. Additionally, he clinched the doubles point and the overall match in both contests.
-Victory over USC
Texas defeated No. 10 USC, 4-1, at the Texas Tennis Center on March 26 to conclude non-conference play and earn their fourth-straight win against the Trojans over the last two years in the series. The Longhorns captured a dramatic doubles point where all three matches went to a tiebreaker, winning at Nos. 3 and 1, before collecting singles victories by Siem Woldeab at No. 3, Cleeve Harper at No. 4, and Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1 for the clinch.
-Avengers take down their second No. 1
When the Longhorns defeated No. 1 TCU in Fort Worth on March 22, it was not only their second win over a No. 1 this season after topping Ohio State at the ITA Indoors, but it also made it to where they have avenged their only two losses. Texas had been defeated by the Buckeyes in Columbus prior to that, and by TCU in the final of the ITA Indoors before downing both in the rematches. In the 4-1 win over the Horned Frogs, the Longhorns won the doubles point in a tiebreaker of the deciding match at No. 1 by Cleeve Harper and Eliot Spizzirri, before singles victories by Nevin Arimilli at No. 6, Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 2, and the clincher by Spizzirri at No. 1.
-Victorious return to Lake Nona
Texas defeated No. 67 UCF, 4-3, at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla., on March 18. The Longhorns won four-consecutive singles matches to clinch at 4-1 on the way to the final. After dropping the doubles point, UT picked up three singles victories within minutes of each other from Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, Evin McDonald at No. 6, and Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 2. Senior Nevin Arimilli then clinched his third-straight match to cap the run with his win at No. 5.
-Comeback against the Pack
The Longhorns rallied for a 4-3 win over No. 20 NC State in Austin on March 14. Texas trailed 3-1 before winning three-consecutive singles matches, including the last two in three sets with the final match decided in a tiebreaker. In all, Texas won four singles matches, including Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 2, Cleeve Harper at No. 5, Micah Braswell at No. 3, and Nevin Arimilli at No. 6 to clinch his second-straight match for the team. It was Arimilli who went to the tiebreaker and overcame a 5-3 deficit in that to win.
-Holding the Card
Texas downed No. 25 Stanford, 5-2, at the Bay Club in South San Francisco, Calif., on March 10. The match had been moved indoors and offsite from the Stanford campus due to weather, but the Longhorns prevailed for their ninth top-25 win of the season. Texas won the doubles point with victories at Nos. 2 and 3 and followed with singles wins by Siem Woldeab at No. 4, Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, Nevin Arimilli at No. 6 to clinch, and Cleeve Harper at No. 5.
-Spizzirri named Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 28)
Eliot Spizzirri was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 26. It marked the third time he earned the honor this season and the eighth time in his career. Spizzirri led Texas to a 5-2 win over No. 40 Texas A&M on Feb. 25 with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 63 Noah Schachter at No. 1 singles, along with a 6-2 win with partner Cleeve Harper over Schachter and Trey Hilderbrand at No. 1 that helped secure the doubles point against the Aggies.
-Four-straight over the Aggies
Texas defeated No. 40 Texas A&M, 5-2, on Feb. 26 the Longhorns' fourth-straight win in the all-time series. The Longhorns won the doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 2 and followed with singles wins by juniors No. 54 Micah Braswell at No. 3, No. 1 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, Evin McDonald at No. 6 to clinch at 4-1, and No. 22 Siem Woldeab at No. 4.
-The MOP
Eliot Spizzirri was tabbed the ITA Indoor Nationals Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament Team at the No. 1 singles line. Spizzirri played four singles matches and went 2-0 with wins over Justin Boulais of No. 1 Ohio State, and No. 7 Andrew Fenty to clinch over No. 4 Michigan. He was also one game away from a potential win over Melios Efstathiou of Wake Forest when the match was clinched and had just forced a third set against No. 17 Jake Fearnley of TCU when that match concluded.
-First-ever final at ITA Indoor Nationals
Texas traveled to Chicago for the ITA National Indoor Championships from Feb. 17-20 and came home with the program's first trip to the tournament final and first runner-up trophy. In doing so, the Longhorns completed an impressive run that featured five victories over ranked opponents with three of those coming against the top-10, including No. 22 Cal and No. 14 Arizona at the ITA Kickoff Weekend earlier in Austin, followed by No. 9 Wake Forest, No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Michigan before finally falling to No. 3 TCU in Chicago.
-Avengers top Michigan
The Longhorns avenged their 2022 NCAA Round of 16 loss to Michigan with a 4-3 victory at the ITA Indoors on Feb. 19. For the second-straight day, Texas earned a top-five win and delivered an opponent its first loss of the season as the Wolverines entered match at 12-0. The Longhorns captured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3, including a dramatic tiebreaker to clinch at No. 3, before adding singles victories from Cleeve Harper at No. 5, Siem Woldeab at No. 4, and Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1 to clinch.
-Avengers take down No. 1
Texas rebounded from its loss earlier in the season at Ohio State in Columbus on Feb. 5 with a 4-3 win over the Buckeyes at the ITA Indoors on Feb. 18 after the Buckeyes had risen to No. 1. Despite dropping the doubles point, the eighth-seeded Longhorns rallied for four singles victories, including Nevin Arimilli at No. 6, Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, Micah Braswell at No. 3, and Pierre-Yves Bailly for the clinch at No. 2. It was Ohio State's first loss of the season after starting 13-0.
-Sweeping the Deacons
The Longhorns swept No. 9 Wake Forest, 4-0, in the Round of 16 at the ITA National Indoor Championships. Texas won the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2 and recorded singles victories by Micah Braswell at No. 3, Cleeve Harper at No. 112, and Nevin Arimilli at No. 6 for the clinch.
-Spizzirri named Big 12 Player of the Week (Feb. 14)
Eliot Spizzirri was chosen Big 12 Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 12. It marked the second time this season and the seventh in his career. Spizzirri posted three overall wins during the week, including two top-100 singles victories, in leading Texas to a 2-0 record in home matches against Pepperdine (5-2) and No. 18 Arizona (4-2).
-Twice as nice against the Wildcats
Texas topped No. 18 Arizona, 4-2, on Feb. 12 at the Texas Tennis Center to give the Longhorns their second win over the Wildcats in two weeks. The teams met on Jan. 29 in Austin at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend with Texas winning that match, 4-0. The Longhorns took a tightly-contested doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, including a tiebreaker at No. 3, and followed with singles victories by Siem Woldeab at No. 4, Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, and Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 2.
-Surfing the Wave
The Longhorns defeated Pepperdine, 5-2, on Feb. 11 at the Texas Tennis Center by capturing five singles victories. Those included Micah Braswell at No. 4, Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1, Siem Woldeab at No. 3, Cleeve Harper at No. 5 for the clinch, and Nevin Arimilli at No. 6. They lifted Texas past the Waves after having fallen in the doubles point earlier in the match.
-Spizzirri is No. 1
Eliot Spizzirri reached No. 1 in the initial spring Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles rankings released on Feb. 8. In doing so, Spizzirri became the first Longhorn to earn the top spot in singles since Søren Hess-Olesen in 2015.
-Top-10 matchup in Columbus
Texas dropped its first match of the season, falling to No. 2 Ohio State, 4-0, at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus on Feb. 5. The Longhorns had a difficult time with deuce points throughout the early half of the match as the Buckeyes won the only two during doubles and then all 10 throughout the first sets across the six singles courts. Texas turned that around in the second sets, winning nine out of 12, but it was too late to rally in the overall match.
-Pac-ing up and heading to the ITA Indoors
Texas put together a pair of ranked wins over the Pac-12 to win the ITA Kickoff Austin Regional title and advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the fifth-straight year. UT downed No. 22 Cal, 4-1, on Jan. 28 and followed that with a 4-0 sweep of No. 14 Arizona on Jan. 29. Both matches were played at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center due to weather. Cleeve Harper went a combined 4-0 in the matches with a top-80 singles win against Arizona, while Eliot Spizzirri was 3-0 and in position for a top-20 singles win against the Wildcats in a match that went unfinished, and Siem Woldeab was 3-1 with a top-60 win against Arizona and his only defeat being a doubles tiebreaker against Cal.
-Spizzirri named Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 24)
Eliot Spizzirri was tabbed Big 12 Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 22. It marked his first this season and the sixth in his career. Texas opened the year with back-to-back awards following Siem Woldeab's the previous week. In two dual matches, he registered three top-20 wins, two top-10 victories and capped it with a win over the No. 1 singles player in the country Ethan Quinn to clinch both doubles points and both overall matches in Texas' wins against UTSA (7-0) and No. 12 Georgia (4-3). He also paired with Cleeve Harper for doubles wins over the No. 19 duo of Quinn and Trent Bryde and No. 6 pair Alan Magadan and Sebastian Rodriguez of UTSA.
-Horns take down Dawgs
The Longhorns downed No. 12 Georgia, 4-3, at the Texas Tennis Center on Jan. 22. Texas claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1, including clinching at No. 1 in a dramatic tiebreaker, along with singles victories by Siem Woldeab at No. 3, Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 2 and No. 3 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1 to clinch the overall match. Spizzirri's came over No. 1 Ethan Quinn.
-Texas sweeps UTSA in home opener
The Longhorns secured a 7-0 sweep over UTSA in the 2023 home opener on Jan. 20. Texas claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1, including a top-10 win for Eliot Spizzirri and Cleeve Harper at No. 1, along with singles victories by Siem Woldeab at No. 2, Evin McDonald at No. 6, Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1 to clinch, Pierre-Yves Bailly at No. 3, Chih Chi Huang at No. 5, and Cleeve Harper at No. 4.
-Woldeab tabbed Big 12 Player of the Week (Jan. 17)
Siem Woldeab was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 15. It was Woldeab's first weekly honor of the season and the second of his career. He produced strong results in both singles and doubles in leading Texas to a 5-2 win at No. 13 Florida. Woldeab paired with Pierre-Yves Bailly to be first off the court on the way to the Longhorns winning the doubles point, downing the No. 43 duo of Jonah Braswell and Lukas Greif at No. 3. He was then also first off the court in singles with a victory over Greif at No. 4, giving Texas a 2-0 lead. The Longhorns then clinched the match at 4-1 and extended the lead to 5-1 before the eventual 5-2 final.
-Texas opens season with win at No. 13 Florida
Texas opened the 2023 season with a 5-2 win at No. 13 Florida at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 15. It marked the 26th-straight year the Longhorns started the season with a victory, dating back to 1998. The Longhorns put together two solid doubles wins at Nos. 1 and 3 before taking singles matches by Siem Woldeab at No. 4, Cleeve Harper at No. 5, Chih Chi Huang at No. 6 to clinch it, and Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1.
-Longhorns sweep titles at Miami Invite
Texas opened spring play by winning both the singles and doubles titles at the Miami Spring Invite in the tournament that ran from Jan. 6-8 in Coral Gables, Fla. Eliot Spizzirri posted a perfect 3-0 singles record to take that top honor, while the pair of Chih Chi Huang and Eshan Talluri matched it to earn the doubles nod. On the final day of play, the Longhorns secured three top-25 singles victories against players from Georgia with Pierre-Yves Bailly knocking off No. 1 Ethan Quinn, Spizzirri topping No. 10 Philip Henning, and Talluri downing No. 21 Blake Croyder for his first career win over a ranked opponent in singles.
-Challenging non-conference schedule
The Longhorns had 17 non-conference dual matches this season against teams that appeared in the ITA national rankings that started with a 5-2 road win at No. 13 Florida to open dual match play on Jan. 15. The Longhorns also had road matches at No. 2 Ohio State (Feb. 5/L, 4-0), No. 25 Stanford (Mar. 9/W, 5-2), No. 67 UCF (Mar. 18/W, 4-3) and No. 1 TCU (Mar. 22/W, 4-1) with the match against TCU coming prior to Big 12 play to make it non-conference. At home, Texas welcomed No. 12 Georgia (Jan. 22/W, 4-3), RV Pepperdine (Feb. 10/W, 5-2), No. 18 Arizona (Feb. 12/W, 4-2), No. 40 Texas A&M (Feb. 26/W, 5-2), No. 20 NC State (Mar. 14/W, 4-3) and No. 10 USC (Mar. 26/W, 4-1). The Longhorns also played No. 22 Cal (Jan. 28/W, 4-1) and No. 14 Arizona (Jan. 29/W, 4-0) in the ITA Kickoff Weekend, and No. 9 Wake Forest (Feb. 17/W, 4-0), No. 1 Ohio State (Feb. 18, W, 4-3), No. 4 Michigan (Feb. 19, W, 4-3) and No. 3 TCU Feb. 20 (L, 4-0) at the ITA Indoors.
-Back from 2022
In the fifth season under head coach Bruce Berque, Texas returned almost all of its singles and doubles lineups from a team that persevered through an injury-plagued 2022, but still finished with an 18-11 record, its eighth-straight season of 18-plus wins, an appearance in an eighth-straight NCAA Sweet 16, and a fourth-straight TA National Indoors quarterfinals. The lone departure was senior Richard Ciamarra, who went out in style by combining with Cleeve Harper to win the NCAA Doubles National Championship. That duo earned doubles All-America honors, as did the combo of Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab. Micah Braswell was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in singles, while Spizzirri and Pierre-Yves Bailly were second-team in singles. Bailly was also named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Chih Chi Huang and Evin McDonald return after combining to play a majority of the matches at No. 6 singles, as do Nevin Arimilli and Eshan Talluri.
-Doubles National Champions
Cleeve Harper and Richard Ciamarra won the 2022 NCAA Doubles National Championship last May at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Champaign, Ill. It marked the seventh doubles title in UT history by six different pairs, and the first since 2015 when Lloyd Glasspool and Søren Hess-Olesen won it. It is also just the second since 1944 when John Hickman and Felix Kelley won it, while Hickman and Walter Driver took it in 1943. The others include Bruce Barnes and Karl Kamrath in 1931, and back-to-back wins by Lewis White and Louis Thalheimer in 1923 and 1924.
-Brown arrives on the 40
The Longhorns add one new face for 2023 in true freshman Lucas Brown from Plano, Texas. Brown is a January enrollee who was the top-ranked player in the state of Texas and rated No. 6 nationally by TennisRecruiting.net. Throughout his juniors career, he has earned a total of 19 USTA National Balls, including eight gold, nine silver and two bronze. He has also earned a No. 1 USTA national ranking in every age division from 12s-18s. Brown completed most of his high school coursework at iUniversity Prep and spent his final semester at the Laurel Springs School.
-Berque at the Helm
Bruce Berque is in his fifth season as head coach, having taken over midway through 2019. From there, he has led the Longhorns to an 87-24 overall record (.784), including 17-2 this season, and an 18-11 mark last season with an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. It also includes a 24-6 in 2021 with an appearance in the Final Four, 13-3 in a pandemic shortened 2020, and 15-2 in 2019 en route to the guiding Texas to its first team National Championship. UT also earned the Big 12 regular season championship that year. Texas finished ranked in the top four in three of those years at No. 3 in 2021, No. 4 in 2020 and No. 1 in 2019, while ranking No. 12 in 2022.
-Fall Wrap-up
The Longhorns had a number of impressive results during 2022 fall play, highlighted by Eliot Spizzirri making the singles final of the ITA National Fall Championships, and the semifinals of the ITA All-American Championships. Spizzirri also partnered with Cleeve Harper to reach the doubles semifinals of the All-Americans and the Round of 16 at Fall Nationals. The duo twice defeated the No. 2-ranked doubles pair of Stefan Dostanic and Bradley Frye of USC during the fall. Overall in singles, Spizzirri posted a 10-3 record and was 8-0 against ranked opponents. Siem Woldeab was also exceptional in singles play, posting an 11-2 record with 10 of those wins coming against ranked opponents, two against top-15 players, and the lone two defeats both coming against top-40 foes. He reached the final of the Commodore Invitational, falling in three sets, and made the Round of 16 of the ITA All-Americans. Micah Braswell was limited in the fall, but still reached the quarterfinals of the All-Americans, while Evin McDonald (8-2) and Eshan Talluri (7-4) both registered solid fall records. Pierre-Yves Bailly missed the fall while recovering from an injury.
-Year Six at the Texas Tennis Center
Texas opened its sixth year at the Texas Tennis Center with a 7-0 sweep of UTSA on Jan. 20 and followed with wins over No. 12 Georgia on Jan. 22, Pepperdine on Feb. 10, No. 18 Arizona on Feb. 12, No. 40 Texas A&M on Feb. 26, No. 20 NC State on March 14, No. 10 USC on March 26, and No. 34 Oklahoma State on March 31, giving the Longhorns a 66-8 (.892) overall record in its history. Last season, the Longhorns posted a 10-3 record at home with the only losses coming to top-five teams by 4-3 scores against No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Ohio State, and 6-0 to No. 4 Baylor. Texas posted a 14-2 mark in 2021, which included wins over No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 9 Florida and No. 15 Arizona. In a shortened season in 2020, UT recorded a 9-0 record with wins against No. 8 Stanford, No. 18 Georgia and No. 21 Florida State. The Longhorns finished 2019 at 15-1, including wins over No. 1 Ohio State, No. 6 Baylor and No. 12 Columbia, along with three NCAA Tournament victories. The lone loss that year came to No. 15 USC. During its inaugural season, Texas posted a 10-2 record, including winning the 2018 Big 12 Tournament.
