By Aidan O’Connor | Sports Writer
After sweeping a doubleheader last weekend, No. 14 Baylor men’s tennis looks to continue its hot streak in another doubleheader Sunday, facing Cornell at noon and Lehigh at 6 p.m. at the Hurd Tennis Center.
“We just really did our jobs,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “When things didn’t go our way, we didn’t hang our heads. We had good intensity — good physicality. The intensity on the court was really good in tough situations.”
Last week’s doubleheader marked the first outdoor matches of the spring, and the Bears (10-6) made a smooth transition. With a 4-0 sweep of UTRGV and a 4-1 win over No. 20 Illinois, Baylor is riding its longest win streak of the season at three matches.
Cornell (9-4) comes to Waco having won three out of its last four and climbing to the No. 31 spot in the national rankings. The Big Red’s success is largely due to No. 44 senior Radu Papoe, who is currently 16-6 this year in singles.
While Cornell and Papoe have thrived in singles, so have the Bears. Baylor’s singles play has been a steady and consistent part of the team, led by graduate student Alexandru Chirita and senior Marko Miladinovic.
“The guy is just turning into a real animal,” Woodson said of Miladinovic. “We’ve always known he is a high-level player, and he’s put in so much work. Obviously, he’s had some accolades in doubles and now he is starting to be our strongest point in singles.”
Miladinovic is second on the team in wins at eight behind Chirita’s 10. Against teams ranked outside the top 10, Miladinovic is 5-0 this season.
The nightcap comes against Lehigh (5-3), a team that has not faced any high-level competition and is one match removed from a 7-0 loss to Drexel University. Baylor aims to maintain its undefeated 8-0 record this season against unranked teams and stay sharp against the Mountain Hawks.
In their second week back outside, the Bears will take on Cornell at noon and Lehigh at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
