No. 14 Texas A&M men’s tennis secured a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships after two dominating performances last weekend against ranked UCLA and Harvard at the ITA Kickoff Weekend event. The Aggies had two long days of competition, beating both the Bruins and the Crimson 4-3, punching their ticket to the Indoor Nationals for the second year in a row.
The Maroon and White had a bit of a rough spell this last weekend against Pepperdine, dropping the match 6-1 for their first loss of the season. They are staying on the road this week as they head to Ty Tucker Tennis Center to face No. 4 Ohio State before heading to Dallas for the ITA Indoor Nationals.
The ITA Indoor Nationals showcases 16 of the top Division I men’s tennis teams in a hardcore four-day tournament. Last season, when the Aggies advanced to the ITA Indoor Nationals, they upset South Carolina in the first round before falling to TCU in the next round. The Aggies don’t know their exact draw yet, but there are plenty of teams A&M should watch out for — including a pair of top-five programs from the Lone Star State.
Currently ranked No. 3 in the ITA rankings is Texas. The Longhorns are sitting at 6-1 with their most recent loss against No. 5 Virginia 4-3, which has also punched its ticket to the tournament.
Before their upset loss, the Burnt Orange had been elite, sweeping all of their opponents except for two, in which they only gave up one point. The Longhorns have two ranked singles players on their roster: No. 10 junior Sebastian Gorzny and No. 11 redshirt freshman Timo Legout.
Another outstanding program that may stand in the way of the Aggies is the Horned Frogs. TCU is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, holding an undefeated 5-0 record as it looks for revenge after coming up short as the runner-ups last year to Ohio State. The Horned Frogs have had outstanding performances early in the season, beating ranked Stanford 7-0 and Baylor 4-1. Both Stanford and Baylor have also punched their tickets for next weekend, putting both in the top-16 men’s tennis programs.
While the Aggies have a tough test in front of them, they also have several key players that can help lead the pack. No. 60 freshman Theo Papamalamis has been amazing all season, but especially during the match against Harvard, securing the final point for the Aggies and advancing them to this tournament.
Papamalamis was the standout player for the Maroon and White last weekend, as he not only helped the Aggies reach victory but also achieved many firsts for his collegiate career. Papamalamis claimed his first ranked win over UCLA’s No. 12 sophomore Spencer Johnson in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Coach Steve Denton had nothing but positive remarks about Papamalamis, calling him the Aggies’ “freshman sensation.” Papamalamis was also named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week.
Another star for the Fightin’ Farmers is senior Luke Casper, who has been solid in singles this season. The California native is currently 3-1 in singles matches this season, with his one loss coming at the hand of Pepperdine’s junior Linus Carlsson Halldin. Casper is coming off a phenomenal junior season as he dominated both the first and second round opponents of the NCAA Tournament, sending the Aggies to the Sweet 16.
Last season, A&M headed into this tournament as the 10-seed as they took on No. 7 South Carolina, defeating them en route to face No. 2 TCU in the next round, ultimately falling 4-2. There will be quite a few familiar faces at this tournament, including No. 12 TCU, No. 24 Wake Forest, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 Columbia, No. 7 Duke and No. 20 Michigan. To say this tournament will be an intense showdown would be an understatement.
The real test for all these teams will be who has the endurance to go all the way to the championship on Feb. 18.
