PROVO, Utah - BYU men’s tennis fell 4-2 to No. 25 Oklahoma State at the Outdoor Tennis Courts in the program’s first Big 12 conference match Thursday in front of nearly 500 fans. Despite the loss, Wally Thayne picked up a ranked singles victory in straight sets over No. 70 Isaac Becroft.
“Hard fought battle against an excellent team, who came out strong in doubles,” said BYU head coach Zack Warren. “We definitely had our opportunities and we’ll continue to work and get better with every opportunity we get to compete. We were outdoors today and the facility was packed. It was a really special atmosphere and we’re looking forward to competing in front of Cougar Nation again on Saturday against Oklahoma at 11 a.m.”
Sophomore Redd Owen picked up the Cougars’ other point on the day in singles. The contest marked the first of seven conference matches total, with three more at home before three on the road.
The outcome marked the end of a 10-match winning streak for BYU as the team hadn’t lost since January 26.
Doubles
1. Alex Garcia/Tyler Zink (OKST) def. Zach Fuchs/Wally Thayne (BYU) 6-3
2. Alessio Basile/Isaac Becroft (OKST) def. Jack Barnett/Redd Owen (BYU) 6-1
3. TJ Wells/Tygen Goldammer (BYU) vs. Francisco Pini/Erik Schiessl (OKST) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1
The Cowboys struck first, gaining the upper hand on quick points and a couple of breaks on court two before winning 6-1. Thayne and Zach Fuchs then fell 6-3 before Wells and Goldammer’s back-and-forth battle on court three went unfinished at 4-4.
Singles
1. No. 18 Tyler Zink (OKST) def. Jack Barnett (BYU) 7-5, 6-1
2. Wally Thayne (BYU) def. No. 70 Isaac Becroft (OKST) 6-2, 6-4
3. Zach Fuchs (BYU) vs. No. 77 Alex Garcia (OKST) 7-6 (7-3), 3-4, unfinished
4. Redd Owen (BYU) def. Erik Schiessl (OKST) 6-3, 6-3
5. Alessio Basile (OKST) def. Tygen Goldammer (BYU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Francisco Pini (OKST) def. TJ Wells (BYU) 7-5, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 4, 5, 6, 1
Wally Thayne took a comfortable 5-1 lead to start set one at No. 2 singles and then closed out the set 6-2. Becroft fought to keep pace in the second set as each traded holding their own serve. Thayne eventually went up 5-4 to set up the deciding game with his own serve. Up 40-15, he fired off a serve that was returned long on match point to secure the win and even the dual count at 1-1. No stranger to big wins, Thayne also owns the highest-ranked win in program history with a takedown of Stanford’s No. 5 Nishesh Basavareddy in 2023.
Owen put the Cougars up 2-1 in the team tally with a win on court four next. The sophomore seized the first set 6-3 and claimed a commanding 3-0 lead in set two. Oklahoma State’s Schiessl cut the lead to 3-2 before Owen held serve, going up 4-2 on a lengthy 40-30 point that Schiessl hit into the net. Owen went on to win 6-3 again.
Jack Barnett’s faceoff with No. 18 Tyler Zink began with Barnett holding the upper hand. He jumped out to a 3-0 advantage and later went up 5-2 before Zink gained momentum, recording breaks en route to a 7-5 first set comeback win. Zink went on to secure the second set 6-1 as the Cowboys evened up the match score at 2-2.
Oklahoma State regained the dual match lead at 3-2 after TJ Wells dropped his No. 6 singles match 7-5, 6-1. Wells entered the lineup for his sixth singles match on the year. The freshman held a 5-3 lead in the first set, but couldn’t hold on before his second set loss.
The Cowboys clinched the dual match at No. 5 singles, where Tygen Goldammer fell 6-3, 6-4 to Alessio Basile. Goldammer fell behind 3-1 in the first set before the 6-3 setback. The two traded breaks several times in the second set for plenty of opportunities for both, but Basile claimed the win.
The lone unfinished match was on court three, ending with Zach Fuchs holding a first set victory and trailing 3-4 in the second. The opening set ended in a tiebreaker, with Fuchs trailing 1-3 early before securing six straight points to earn a 7-3 victory. Fuchs forced several errors from 77th-ranked opponent Alex Garcia, staying consistent with deep returns and strong serves, forcing several of Garcia’s shots into the net. The junior’s chance to rack up a ranked win was cut short after the Cowboys clinched the match.
Up Next
BYU will take on No. 17 Oklahoma at the Outdoor Tennis Courts (weather permitting) on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. Watch or follow along with live stats. Follow BYU men’s tennis social media accounts for updates on if the match will be moved to the Indoor Tennis Courts due to weather.