By Aidan O’Connor | Sports Writer
Despite an hour delay and 20 mph winds, No. 3 seed Baylor men’s tennis swept No. 6 seed Arizona State 4-0 in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals Friday night at the Hurd Tennis Center.
“We jumped all over them in doubles right away, which was awesome to see,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “That’s rare, even when we feel like we’re maybe the better team. It’s hard to stretch leads in a quick set of doubles, and we did that on two and three. Honestly, it probably broke the spirit of the number one doubles team. Their energy dropped from Arizona State. We got on them, and they actually won. It was really a great start.”
The day couldn’t have started better for the Bears (22-9) as they dominated doubles play. Junior Zsombor Velcz and graduate student Alexandru Chirita were the first to strike, coasting to a 6-1 victory. Seniors Marko Miladinovic and Oskar Brostrom Poulsen finished things off moments later on Court One after beating the undefeated sophomore duo Bor Artnak and Daniel Phillips, 6-3. The South African tandem of Luc Koenig and Devin Badenhorst left their match unfinished at 5-3.
“It can be a little bit dangerous when things go that easy in the doubles,” Woodson said. “I’m not sure what’s gonna come out in singles. A couple of guys were a little lethargic, thinking it was [going to] be easy, even though we talked about it. It’s just natural, but gosh, we won all six first sets. I didn’t have that on my bingo card tonight.”
The Bears carried their success into singles, as Koenig wasted no time winning 6-3, 6-3. Up 2-0, Baylor was rolling, winning every first set and looking primed to sweep Arizona State (12-11). Things hit a lull, though, as the Sun Devils made a comeback during the second set on several courts.
“Devin plays the best players in the nation every single match, and he’s doing a great job,” Brostrom Poulsen said. “It’s not easy, sometimes you just go up against some guys that are [top] 300 in the world, and that’s just how college tennis is. That’s a great thing about it because Devin is right there.”
The comeback for Arizona State was short-lived as the tide shifted back in Baylor’s favor after Badenhorst took down No. 36 Artnak in a close match, winning 6-4, 7-6(2). Brostrom Poulsen then stormed back after losing the second set to win his match 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, securing Baylor’s victory and sweep.
“I think there’s a lot of revenge to be won in that match tomorrow,” Brostrom Poulsen said. “I think just getting this one out of the way first is good. We took care of business, and now we’re able to focus 100% on Arizona, which is a match that everyone on the team wants to [go] out there and just outshine Arizona.”
The Bears will be back on the court against No. 2 seed Arizona in the Big 12 Championship semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
