Aidan O’Connor | Sports Writer
The 2025 ITA National Indoor Championships provide a unique challenge for Baylor men’s tennis: a shot at redemption against No. 1 TCU.
The pressure is on for the No. 8-seed Bears (6-4) to prove themselves against their undefeated in-state rival in the first round. The green and gold are still searching for their first ranked win, having dropped all four contents against such teams, including a 4-1 loss against the Horned Frogs.
“I think all of us feel like we were right there, three weeks ago and that we could [win],” head coach Michael Woodson said. “We’re as good of a team as [TCU], and we can take a team like that down. So, yeah, we’ve certainly gained confidence since that time.”
Even though the Bears could not overcome TCU (5-0) the first time, the match was closer than the 4-1 final score indicated. Three matches went to a third set, and four sets required a tiebreaker, including the deciding doubles point that Baylor lost. Coming that close in so many matches has the green and gold eager for another shot.
“I’m really excited about Friday,” sophomore Devin Badenhorst said. “I think the team is too. [We] obviously want to get revenge on them, and I think we’ve been doing the work and everything that we need to.”
Since facing the Horned Frogs, the Bears are 4-2. Senior Oskar Brostrom Poulsen has led the charge on a dominant 6-0 singles stretch, earning a Big 12 Athlete of the Week award. After a singles and doubles loss against TCU, graduate student Alexandru Chirita is gone 5-0 in singles play. As a team, doubles play has also improved, with the Bears winning three straight doubles points.
“I feel like we trust each other, and we know what to expect from each other this year,” Badenhorst said. “I just feel like obviously we gain confidence from it. They’re [TCU] obviously a great team, winning the national championship last year, but I feel like our mentality is more going out there and beating them — not just wanting to put up a good score against them or anything like that. We want to go out there and win the match.”
The defending national champion Horned Frogs pose a grueling task in a loaded bracket. They are deep across the board, with three players ranking in the top 50 in singles and the No. 2 doubles team in the country. To take down No. 1 TCU, the Goliath and favorite to take home the ITA National Indoor Championship trophy, Woodson feels recent success won’t be enough. The Bears will need every edge possible.
“It’s just exciting to be able to play for the first time here at home in the Indoor National Championships against your biggest rival,” Woodson said. “It’s what all these guys come here for. It’s exciting for our entire athletic department, our university, certainly for our team — we’re pumped.”
The Bears are hosting the first half of the tournament at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center in Waco. The green and gold aim to use the home crowd to build energy and momentum throughout a tension-filled battle.
“We are pretty hungry,” junior Zsombor Velcz said. “Last year, we didn’t qualify for indoors; in my freshman year, we did, and some of the guys are still here from that team and they know how fun it is to be there in the best 16 teams in the nation. So, I feel like everyone is hungry to prove we are there.”
Baylor looks to get redemption and revenge at 6:30 p.m. Friday against No. 1 TCU in the first round of the ITA National Indoor Championships inside the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
