Tennis '22-'23 Season

Today's match vs Arizona in the ITA Kick-Off Championship round has been moved indoors at the Weller Tennis Center (2516 University Club Drive) at 2 pm. If you are in Austin, please come out and support the team. I know our guys will appreciate all the help they can get. Here is the link to live scoring for out of towners who can't be there in person. Unfortunately, there will be no live streaming at our indoor courts. Thanks for the support, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
I hope you had a nice weekend. We definitely did, as we picked up another great win today, this time over #14 Arizona. After rain forced us indoors, our guys played an inspired match in front of a very good crowd, and punched their ticket to the National Team Indoor Championships in Chicago in 3 weeks. For all the details from today's win, please click on this recap. Next up for us is a road match vs #2 Ohio State in Columbus this coming Sunday. We will be back at home in two weeks, when we take on #20 Pepperdine on Friday, February 10 at 5 pm, and then #14 Arizona (again) on Sunday, February 12 at 1 pm. Both matches will be played outside at the Texas Tennis Center, weather permitting. Thanks so much for all your support. Have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Thank you for always posting these. I enjoy reading them!

 

You are more than welcome! Thanks for letting me know. I sometimes feel that it's overkill but I know now there is an audience for these messages.

 

Greetings from Columbus, Ohio, where we are preparing for a big road test vs #2 Ohio State tomorrow (Sunday) at 12 pm eastern time (11 am central). For a full match preview, including links to live scoring and video, please click on this press release. We will be back at the Texas Tennis Center next weekend to take on Pepperdine (Friday at 5 pm) and Arizona (Sunday at 1 pm). In case you missed the action from last weekend, here is a little highlight video from our home wins over CAL and Arizona that earned us in a spot in Chicago in two weeks for the National Team Indoors.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

HI UT Tennis Fan,
After a tough road loss last weekend to #1 Ohio State, we are back at home this weekend for two more challenging home matches. We will play Pepperdine tomorrow (Friday) at 4 pm, and follow that up with Arizona on Sunday at 1 pm. For a full preview of tomorrow's match please click on this press release.

Eliot Spizzirri will not only be at the top of our singles lineup again this weekend, but he also finds himself at the top of this week's national singles rankings, marking the first time UT has had the top player in the rankings since Soren Hess-Olesen in 2015. Here is the full story of where we stand both as a team and individually this week.

After this weekend's matches, we will hit the road for the National Indoors in Chicago. But first things first: Pepperdine tomorrow, and Arizona Sunday at the Texas Tennis Center. We will need all the help we can get! Have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
We had a strong performance in tough conditions last night at the Texas Tennis Center, and chalked up a 5-2 win over Pepperdine (recap). We will be back at the TTC tomorrow (Sunday) at 1 pm to take on #18 Arizona (who last night beat #10 Baylor by a 5-2 score in Waco). This is a very big match for our team, and we would sure appreciate you coming out to support if you are in town. If you can't make it, you will be able to follow along via live scores and streams by clicking on the links provided in this match preview.

After tomorrow's match, we will head to Chicago to begin play on Friday at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Hope to see you at the courts tomorrow. Happy Superbowl Sunday, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Cold and wet weather to start the season. Hopefully not so cold in 2nd half of February

 

HI UT Tennis Fan,
We had two big wins last weekend at the Texas Tennis Center, as we beat Pepperdine (recap) and Arizona (recap) in very competitive matches. Based on his 2 wins at #1 singles in these matches, #1 ranked Eliot Spizzirri was once again named Big 12 Men's Tennis Player of the Week. In case you missed the action last weekend, you may want to check out this highlight video.

Last night we arrived in Chicago for the ITA National Team Indoors, where we will take on Wake Forest in the first round tomorrow (Friday) at 6:30 pm central time. For more information about the tournament, including links to live stats and video, please visit the tournament homepage. Our next home match will be on Sunday, February 26 at 3 pm vs Texas A&M. Please mark your calendars now. We need a packed house for that one!

Thanks for your continued interest in, and support of, our team! Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Good morning UT Tennis Fan,
We played one of our best matches of the year last night in the first round of the National Indoors in Chicago, and beat #9 Wake Forest by the score of 4-0, losing just 1 set in doubles/singles combined. For all the details on last night's match, please click on this recap. It was a late night, and we are getting some rest and recovering this morning. This afternoon we will start gearing up for tonight's 6:30 pm (central time) quarterfinal match vs #1 Ohio State. For links to live scoring, video, and the Cracked Rackets broadcast, please visit the tournament homepage, or visit our team homepage for tonight's match preview once it is posted.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for next Sunday's (February 26) 3 pm home match vs Texas A&M at the TTC. Please help us pack the house for that one!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

We had a very big 4-3 win tonight over #1 ranked Ohio State at the National Team Indoors in Chicago. Here is the full story. Tomorrow (Sunday) we will take on #4 Michigan in the semifinals. Please visit the tournament homepage for links to live scoring, video, and the Cracked Rackets Broadcast. Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
We had another fantastic finish tonight in Chicago! This time our guys took down #4 ranked Michigan, coming back from 3-1 down to secure the 4-3 win! For all the details, please click on this match recap. And for a video with commentary of #1 ranked Eliot Spizzirri's clinching moment, please click on this tweet. With the win, we move on to the final of that National Indoors for the first time in program history, and will take on #3 TCU tomorrow (Monday) at 12:00 pm central time. Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
We are looking forward to our return to the Texas Tennis Center this Sunday, as we face Texas A&M at 3 pm. We are calling on all Austin faithful to come to the match and recruit as many friends as possible to join them. Our team could really use a packed house in this big rivalry match. Our marketing department has a few special promotions planned, including a visit by Bevo!

Today, Eliot Spizzirri was named the Most Outstanding Player of the National Indoor Championship (announcement). As you know, our team picked up three top ten wins (#9 Wake Forest, #1 Ohio State, #4 Michigan) at National Indoors, and reached the final for the first time in program history (we lost the title match to TCU). Following the tournament we have moved up to #2 in the nation on the ITA computer, and Eliot Spizzirri remains #1 in singles.

Thanks for your support of UT Men's Tennis. Looking forward to a packed TTC on Sunday at 3 pm vs the Aggies! Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Good morning UT Tennis Fan,
It was a fantastic day at the TTC yesterday, with a crowd of over 700 people on hand to watch our guys fight their way to a 5-2 win over the Aggies (coached by Longhorn great Steve Denton). Heading into the match our team was still feeling the effects of last week's run to the National Indoors final, with several battling injury and sickness. I was super proud of the way they showed up to play, and the crowd helped them a ton! Speaking of our National Indoors run, here is a little highlight video from the tournament in case you were not able to watch live.

There have been a few changes to our schedule in recent days. The match vs Texas A&M Corpus Christi has been cancelled, and our non-conference match vs. TCU in Fort Worth has been moved from this coming Saturday to Wednesday, March 22 at 5:30. Here is the link to our updated schedule. With the changes, our next match will be on the road against Stanford on Thursday, March 9, and our next home match will be Tuesday, March 14 vs. NC State.

Thanks so much for your support of Texas Men's Tennis! Have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan
I hope you are having a great week! With no matches on the schedule this week, our team is taking advantage of the opportunity to recuperate mentally and physically after a grueling first half of the season. Our record on the year is 11-2, and we are ranked #2 in the country. Our wins include Florida, Georgia, Cal-Berkeley, Arizona (twice), Pepperdine, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Michigan, and Texas A&M! Following Sunday's win over the Aggies, Eliot Spizzirri was once again recognized by the conference as the Big 12 Player of the Week (press release). It is the 3rd time this season that Eliot has earned this honor, and his 8th time as a Longhorn. Eliot is currently 9-0 in singles at the #1 position, and is ranked #1 in the country.

In recruiting news, I am happy to announce that Rahul Sachdev has signed on to join our team next season. Rahul is a senior from North Carolina, and I fully expect him to make an impact on our program during his time at Texas. To learn more about Rahul, please click on today's announcement. We are optimistic that we will be adding 1 or 2 more players to next year's team, and will update you once we are able.

Our next match will be on Thursday, March 9 vs Stanford in Palo Alto. We will follow that up with our final non-conference home match of the season, vs North Carolina State on Tuesday, March 14 at 6 pm. If you are in Austin, please plan on joining us for that one, as our next home match after that is not until March 31.

Thanks so much for your interest in, and support of UT Men's Tennis! Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
My apologies for being several days late to report our 5-2 win over Stanford last week in California, but I guess good news comes better late than never! Here is a full recap of our big win, which Austin's own Nevin Arimilli clinched.

Now on to our next match, which is tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 6 pm central time at the Texas Tennis Center. Our players are having a terrific season, and it means a lot to them when they know the local fans are behind them in each one of their battles. The 700+ fans that were on hand for our win over A&M a few weeks ago made a big difference, and we have several more marquee home matches to look forward to this season. We understand that this is spring break week, but we certainly welcome everyone who can make it. Here is a full preview of tomorrow's match vs a very good NC State team, who beat us 4-3 in 2020 (our last meeting).

After tomorrow's night's match, we will play road matches vs UCF (Saturday, March 18) and TCU (Wednesday, March 22). Our next home match, and last non-conference match of the season, will be on Sunday, March 26 at 2 pm vs USC. It looks like the USC match will be broadcast on LHN, which means there will be no streaming. So if you want to see that match live, and you don't have LHN, you should make plans to be in Austin if at all possible.

Will circle back with you again in a few days. Have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
It wasn't our best tennis tonight, but it was another great team win over #20 North Carolina State. After falling behind 3-1 in the team score, our guys rallied with wins by Cleeve Harper, Micah Braswell, and finally Nevin Arimilli in a 3rd set tiebreaker. Please click here for all the details. We will catch an afternoon flight to Orlando tomorrow, and then get ready to play Central Florida (UCF) on Saturday. Next week we will head north to Ft. Worth to take on #1 TCU on Wednesday at 5:30 pm. Our next home match will be on Sunday, March 26 at 2 pm vs. #8 USC. That will be a massive match for us, and we are counting on you to help us spread the word. Let's pack the TTC! Have a great rest of your week! Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
After our road win over UCF in Orlando on Saturday (match recap), and 2 short days in Austin, we are now in Ft. Worth, gearing up to play #1 TCU (we are #3 this week) tomorrow at 5:30 pm. For a preview of this top 5 showdown, including links to live scoring and video, please click on today's press release.

Our next home match is this coming Sunday at 2 pm, and it is a big one! We will take on USC in yet another top ten matchup, and the match will be broadcast (tape delay) by The Longhorn Network. While there will be live point by point scoring, the only way to watch the match live will be to be there in person (no streaming when LHN broadcasts). So I would like to appeal to everyone within driving distance of Austin to plan on being at the TTC on Sunday at 2 pm, and to convince at least 4 people you know to come with you! We are attempting to get 1000 people to pack the stadium. Our attendance was a bit over 700 for the A&M match and we would like to blow past that number for this on Sunday. Only four home matches remain in the regular season, and our guys would sure appreciate your support in the homestretch of what has been a very special season so far. Hope to see you at the courts soon! Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

HI UT Tennis Fan,
It was a great evening in Ft. Worth last night, as our guys battled hard to take a 4-1 win over #1 ranked TCU. We won a close doubles point in a tiebreaker at #1, and then followed that up with wins in 3 of the 4 matches that were played to a decision. For all the details, please click on this press release.

We now turn our attention to playing USC at the Texas Tennis Center at 2 pm on Sunday. The match will be broadcast by the Longhorn Network (tape delay), so your only opportunity to watch it live will be to be here in person. Our goal is to fill the stadium with 1,000 people, and I think we will do it! Please plan on getting there early to make sure you get a good seat! Please also help us spread the word to as may people as possible. I have attached the promotional flyer that you are free to pass around on social media. We have just 4 home matches remaining, and our guys would sure appreciate big crowds to help them keep the great season going! If you can't be there in person on Sunday, you will be able to follow along via live scoring as usual (we installed new scoreboards last week, so now live scoring should be instant and point by point on every court). After the USC match, we will open conference play next Friday at 6:30 pm vs Oklahoma State (and next Sunday vs OU).

Have a great weekend, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

Click to download these attachments:
MTN_USC_Slide.png

 

Hi again UT Tennis Fan,
After beating then #1 TCU in Ft. Worth last Wednesday, we returned home to face #10 USC on Sunday. Another great crowd helped us take down the Trojans by the score of 4-1 (full recap). It was a great team win, especially considering we were one man down (Micah Braswell was out due to injury). After going 4-0 (singles and doubles combined) against TCU and USC, Eliot Spizzirri was named Big 12 Player of the Week for the 4th time this season and the 9th time in his career. His 9 conference honors break the previous record of 8, which was held by Longhorn great Yuya Ito. Here is the full story on Eliot's recognition. On the strength of our two top ten wins last week, we moved up to #1 in this week's ITA National Rankings. We have now reached that milestone in 3 of the last 5 seasons! While the goal is not rankings, but rather to compete for championships at the end, we are certainly proud of what our players have accomplished to this point. Their wins include Florida, Georgia, Stanford, USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Wake Forest, and Texas A&M. And for the first time in program history we have both the #1 team in the country and the #1 singles player in the country (Eliot Spizzirri) at the same time.

Now on to the next challenges! We will play Oklahoma State this Friday at 6:30 pm at the Texas Tennis Center, and follow that up with a 1 pm showdown with Oklahoma (also at the TTC). Both matches will be televised live on The Longhorn Network. Live point by point scoring will be available on our website, but there will be no live streaming (due to LHN coverage). Oklahoma State and Oklahoma are both strong teams, and we know they will be gunning for us. We could sure use two more big crowds this weekend to get behind this special group! Have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

How long is Micah out?

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan
Our team had another strong performance last night, taking at Oklahoma State by the score of 5-2. Here is the video summary put out by the Longhorn Network, and here is the match recap. We will be back at the TTC at 1 pm tomorrow to face off against Oklahoma. Like any Red River Rivalry match up, our dual matches with OU tend to be intense to say the least, and we could use every bit of help we can get. There are only two more regular season home matches left, and they are both big. If you are in town, please come out and bring everyone you can convince to join you! For a full preview of tomorrow's match, please click on this preview. Out of towners will be able to watch the match live on LHN. If you don't get LHN, you can follow along via point by point live scoring (see match preview for live scoring link). Have a great rest of your weekend, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
It was another great day at the TTC yesterday, as our guys once again showed great Texas Fight to get past a Oklahoma by the score of 6-1 (match recap) (LHN Video highlights). Thanks to everyone who was part of the great crowds last weekend!. Our guys appreciated the support. Our team record is now 18-2, and when the new rankings come out tomorrow, we will once again be the nation's #1 ranked team, and have the nation's #1 ranked player (Eliot Spizzirri).

We will hit the road tomorrow night for a Thursday match up against Texas Tech in Lubbock. We will then head to Waco to play Baylor on Saturday night. Our next home match will be a big one, as we will take on #2 TCU (for the 3rd time this season) at 7 pm on Saturday, April 15. Please save that date, and plan on being at the TTC! This time we fully intend to pack the place and hit the 1,000 fan mark! We are planning several great promotions, and will be in touch with those details after this weekend's road trip.

Have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
Greetings from Lubbock! Our team had another hard fought win tonight, this time a 5-2 decision over Texas Tech. Playing once again without Micah Braswell, our guys stepped up and got the job done. For the full recap of tonight's win, please click on this press release. We will travel to Waco tomorrow for a day of preparation before we take on Baylor on Saturday at 6 pm. We of course expect another battle, as Baylor is always tough to beat, especially on the road.

We will return to Austin after the Baylor match and have the week to prepare for our final regular season match of the year, the 3rd this season against TCU. Currently we are ranked #1 and TCU is ranked #2, and we are also the only two undefeated teams in Big 12 play. Needless to say, the Texas Tennis Center will be the place to be on Saturday, April 15 at 7 pm! There are many great promotions in the works (details to come in my next e-mail), and we will be recognizing two outstanding seniors, Nevin Arimilli and Chih Chi Huang, for their great contributions to our program. If you can't be there in person, your only opportunity to watch the match will be on The Longhorn Network. So if you don't have that subscription, you may want to sign up this week!

For those of you who missed the action last week, here is a highlight video we put together from our wins over Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

He's back as of today vs Baylor!

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
I hope you had a very nice holiday weekend! We wrapped up our road trip last night in Waco, and returned to Austin with a 4-0 win over Baylor (match recap). With one match left in the regular season, our record is now 20-2 (4-0 in the Big 12), and we are ranked #1 in the country. Speaking of the one match remaining, we will take on #2 ranked TCU on Saturday at 7 pm at the Texas Tennis Center. The Horned Frogs are also undefeated in the Big 12, so the match will be for the Big 12 regular season Championship. If you cannot make it in person, you can watch live on the Longhorn Network, and follow along via live point by point scoring updates.. I will be back in touch again in a few days with an update on the special promotions we have planned for match. If you are local, we hope you will plan on joining us to support this special team, and to recognize Chih Chi Huang and Nevin Arimilli for their contributions to the program. I fully expect the TTC to be full with a record breaking crowd, so I recommend you plan on getting there a little early, so you can get a seat and be sure to be there for the senior day recognitions.

Thanks so much for your support of Texas Men's Tennis! Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi again UT Tennis Fan,
I am writing with a reminder (likely not my last one) that our last regular season home match will be this Saturday at 7 pm vs TCU, and it will be for the Big 12 Regular Season Championship! If you are local, we would really appreciate your support. It will be #1 Texas vs #3 TCU, and we fully expect to shatter the TTC attendance record. You will not want to miss this one! If you can make it, we suggest that you be up in the stands a few minutes before 7 pm to secure your seat, and to be present as we recognize Chih Chi Huang and Nevin Arimilli on their Senior Day. As added motivation for you to be there early, the first 100 fans will get free Texas Tennis retro t-shirts! I have attached the promotional flyer to this e-mail. Please feel free to send it to anyone or any group of people that might have an interest! If you are out of town and unable to be there in person, you can watch live on the Longhorn Network, and follow along via our live scoring links.

Today Eliot Spizzirri was once again honored as Big 12 Player of the Week. This is the 5th such honor for Eliot this season, and his 10th career recognition, a Big 12 Conference record! Click here for the full story. In an effort to spread the word about Saturday's match, I had the opportunity to piggyback on Coach Sark's press conference today. If interested, you can watch here. After Saturday's conclusion to the regular season, we will turn our attention to the post season tournaments. The Big 12 tournament will be in Lawrence, Kansas next week, followed by a one week break from competition in advance of the NCAA tournament. Of course there is no telling how the season will wind up, but I can tell you for sure that this year's team will show Texas Fight to the end, and will make you all proud with their effort and with the way they represent Texas. Have a great rest of your week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Hi UT Tennis Fan,
Saturday was a truly special night at the Texas Tennis Center! A record shattering crowd of over 1,300 people inspired our #1 ranked team to a 5-2 win over #3 ranked TCU, and more importantly to the outright Big 12 Championship! You will want to click here for a bunch of great pictures and LHN's video of championship point, and then here for the full match recap. Our regular season is now complete, and we finished it with a record of 21-2. This includes an undefeated record at the Texas Tennis Center (and the Weller Indoor Tennis Center), and an undefeated record outdoors. Our two losses were on the road at Ohio State, and to TCU in the finals of the National Indoors. Both losses were later avenged (Ohio State at the National Indoors, and TCU both in Fort Worth and in Austin).. Our wins include Florida, Georgia, Wake Forest, Ohio State, Michigan, Texas A&M, Stanford, USC, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Arizona (twice), and TCU (twice). That kind of consistency is not possible without an extremely motivated, and mature group of players who respect every opponent, and discipline themselves to be at their best despite the inevitable challenges they face throughout the season. While we can't promise what will happen in the upcoming Big 12 and NCAA tournaments, I can promise that our team will keep fighting for each other and for Texas, and will make you all proud in the process! I will be back in touch in the coming days with a preview of the Big 12 tournament, and some more updates. Until then, have a great week, and Hook'em!

Sincerely,
Bruce Berque

 

Was great being able to watch on LHN.

 

Late to the party but watching replay now on LHN!