By Harper Mayfield | Sports Writer
No. 3 Baylor men’s tennis put on a strong performance in their Saturday doubleheader, taking down Louisiana 6-1 and Dallas Baptist 7-0, moving the Bears’ record to 19-3 on the season. Baylor has won 41 doubleheaders in a row, and five this year alone. Interim head coach Michael Woodson was pleased with his team’s play over the course of a long day.
“I thought it was a great day of tennis,” Woodson said. “We had good crowds engaged in the matches, so it was a lot of fun. It’s always good to get everybody involved, that’s not easy with a bigger team, but we were able to do that today and I thought everybody played great.”
Senior Constantin Frantzen continues to rewrite Baylor record books, as he became just the fourth Baylor player to ever cross the 100 career doubles win threshold. He’s well within striking distance of number one, Benjamin Becker’s mark of 104 career victories. Both Frantzen and Becker are German, and Frantzen was excited to share in more than just nationality with Becker.
“Obviously, it’s special,” Frantzen said. “I’ve been here for five years now. The tradition at Baylor with German players is pretty big. There’s Benjamin Becker, he’s one of the guys up there [ahead of me] on the list, so it means a lot to me to give something back to the program. Overall, it’s a pleasure and joy to compete everyday and to get the opportunity to play, especially during the pandemic. It’s an honor.”
Baylor made quick work of both opponents on Saturday, taking the doubles point in each match. Baylor’s No. 10 ranked pairing of Frantzen and Sven Lah suffered a rare loss in the match against Louisiana, falling 6-2 to the Ragin’ Cajun pair of Kacper Dworak and Ivailo Keremedichiev. After the loss, responsibility fell on Baylor’s British duo of Finn Bass and Charlie Broom to secure the point. They would do just that, beating Sanchez and Kajin 6-2. Baylor made light work of the singles courts in both matches, suffering only one loss on the day, a 6-4, 6-4 match that Broom dropped to Karlo Kajin.
The rest of the matches were strong wins for Baylor, and one court included a new face for the Bears. English freshman Rahul Dhokia made his season debut on Saturday, winning 6-1, 6-2 over DBU’s Josh Williams. While Dhokia was happy with his individual win, he was more focused on what the team gained from the day.
“It felt amazing to be out competing with the guys,” Dhokia said. “I think we’ve all worked so hard and we’re embracing what Coach Woodson’s saying about playing anyone, anytime, anyplace. I’m really proud of the guys and proud to be part of something bigger than myself. I think the best win is always the next win and for me, that match was the biggest thing in my life at that moment. I gave everything and being around this team is pretty special.”
Baylor will be back on the court on Monday, as they head to Beaumont for a showdown with Lamar. It will be the first game of a long road stint for the Bears, which will include stops in Dallas, Norman, Okla., and Stillwater, Okla. The match against Lamar is slated to start at 2 p.m.
