Zach Fuchs and Wally Thayne accomplished something that has not been done at BYU in 20 years.
They became the first BYU men’s tennis doubles team to qualify for the NCAA tournament since 2004. They accomplished this by winning their semifinal match against the No.13 California Golden Bears in Waco, Texas.
In order to make history, Fuchs and Thayne had to overcome a first-set loss. They responded with a 6-2 second-set victory before punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament by winning the third and final set 10-7.
The senior duo was slotted to play the University of Texas doubles team in the opening round of the tournament which is taking place at Baylor’s Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
The first set of BYU’s opening-round matchup was a back-and-forth set for the first six games until the Cougars won the last three to win the set 6-3.
The Texas duo of Timo Legout and Lucas Brown answered back in the second set. It was another set of thrilling action from both teams but ultimately, the Longhorns were able to claim a second set victory with a score of 6-4.
The third and final set was a 10-point super tiebreak. Each team would have the opportunity to score a point on each serve. The first team to reach 10 would win the match and advance to the next round.
Just as it was for the entirety of the match, this super tiebreak was a back-and-forth affair. BYU was able to take a 8-5 lead over Texas but the Longhorns hung in there and tie it up. Some returns and bounces did not go the Cougars’ way and it was Texas who would move on to the next round after winning the third set 10-8.
“It was a high-level match against Texas today, it was intense from the very first point and it was separated by two points at the end in a 10-8 super tiebreaker," said coach Zack Warren. "Zach and Wally have been playing great tennis throughout the fall and earned their way into the national championships and I couldn’t be more proud."
This was not the result that Fuchs and Thayne wanted but they showed perseverance on their way to reach their goal of qualifying for the NCAA tournament and being BYU’s first men’s doubles team to do so in 20 years.
“I know they’re disappointed with the result today, but they’re tough and resilient and they’ll bounce back to be even better,” Warren said. “Having a pair of BYU players representing our program at the most important individual tournament in college tennis was a big milestone and we’re grateful to everyone who traveled to be here in person and those back home sending us good luck and positive messages. We’re excited to see you all in January.”
Fuchs and Thayne will return to play in January as they prepare for Big 12 conference play in the spring.