It’s taken two straight days of play to get to this point. Two straight days of comebacks and emotionally-fueled disputes with the men standing across them.
On Sunday, Texas walked into enemy territory, into a cauldron of noise, pressure and pride, with everything on the line. Neither Texas nor No. 13 South Carolina had brought home a Southeastern Conference men’s tennis championship up to this point, and the Gamecock crowd in Columbia knew it.
Texas earned the No. 1 seed. Whether it’s starting off hot or catching fire with their backs against the wall, the Longhorns show up every time. In its first year in the conference, Texas went the distance, getting to lift the title with a 4–1 win over South Carolina.
While every player contributed, Texas’ two top-ranked stars defined this run.
No. 2 redshirt freshman Timo Legout anchored the Longhorns throughout the tournament, bringing poise and power while leading the lineup. Being a top player in the nation, it’s rare to see him get tested, but even when the fire gets smothered, the coals never go out.
The tournament’s most valuable player struggled earlier in the weekend against Tennessee, losing his first set 5–7 and trailing 3–0 in the second. But, he flipped the script, coming back to win 7–5, then slamming the door shut with a 6–3 win in the third set to send Texas to the championship.
“ Honestly, yesterday (against Tennessee) was just trying to stay as long as possible on court,” Legout said. “I was not even trying to think about winning the match until I won that third set.
The next day, with morale at an all-time high, the Frenchman didn’t even blink to take the title. He smothered graduate student No. 20 Connor Thomson, covering every inch of the court like a shadow. He took his sets, 6–1 and 6–2, leaving no one to question who the tournament MVP should be.
“ It’s not about coaching when you’ve got the Jimmys and Joes,” head coach Bruce Berque said. “To have Timo step in as a freshman and be such a mature guy, a great competitor and a tough guy … that certainly helps a lot with our culture.”
Legout may have led the charge, but junior No. 22 Sebastian Gorzny wasn’t far behind. Throughout the weekend, Gorzny had to perform when there was nothing left to lose. In the Longhorns’ first game of the tournament against No. 33 Auburn, Gorzny saw himself in a deep hole, trailing 3–0 to start both his sets. But the Austin-native rallied like no one else, grinding out two 7–5 wins to seal the victory.
Carrying some of that momentum into Sunday, he easily dismantled South Carolina junior Lucas Andrade da Silva in the championship, with 6–2, 6–3 wins. Along with Legout, he also brought some hardware back home, winning SEC tournament all-team honors.
While the champions may take this week to celebrate, the road is far from over. Texas dominated the SEC — now the Longhorns hope to win it all.
The Longhorns begin their national championship run on May 2, with their eyes set on a second national title.
