The Baylor men’s tennis team stayed perfect in ITA Kick-Off Weekend play with a 4-0 blanking of No. 23 SMU Sunday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
With the win, the 21st-ranked Bears secured a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, Feb. 17-20, in Charlottesville, Va. BU has participated in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in seven of the nine years of its existence, winning all 14 matches over those seven years and advancing to the national event each time.
After being pushed to the wire in Saturday’s 4-3 upset of No. 15 Texas A&M, Baylor took care of the Mustangs in just over two hours.
First, the doubles tandem of Johannes Schretter and Jimmy Bendeck stayed perfect on the year with a 6-1 triumph against Markus Kerner and Arkadijs Slobodkins at the No. 3 spot. Juan Benitez and Constantin Frantzen followed that lead and made quick work of Samm Butler and Ronald Slobodchikov, 6-2, on court two to claim the doubles point.
In singles play, the Bears produced three straight-set victories to end SMU’s day. To start, the 81st-ranked Bendeck clinched a 6-3, 6-2 decision against Kerner at the No. 4 spot. Saturday’s hero, Frantzen, put Baylor on the brink of victory with his 6-4, 6-2 win over Slobodkins at the bottom of the lineup. Benitez polished off the Ponies with a 6-3, 6-2 triumph against Slobodchikov at the No. 1 spot.
With the match clinched, the three remaining singles match were abandoned.
OTHER NOTABLES
Baylor is now 4-0 on the season and SMU is 3-2.
Baylor has shutout three of its four opponents this season.
The Bears have won 19-straight matches over SMU, but still trail the all-time series 28-22.
BU has not lost to SMU since 2001.
This was the first year in which Baylor did not host the ITA Kick-Off event while playing in it.
Baylor is the fifth No. 4 seed in the nine year history of the event to advance out of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
TOP QUOTE #1
“We were excited to play. We were confident we had a pretty good crew. We just needed a chance to get out and see where we were at. This weekend provided two good tests for us and I am proud of the guys for responding. It was certainly a super way to kick off the season for us.” - head coach Matt Knoll on the weekend
TOP QUOTE #2
“We have so much respect for SMU. Those guys always make it so hard on us and they did again today. It is not easy to play those guys. I was happy our guys were able to stick with the scouting reports we gave them and really play in a way that wasn’t maybe the easiest way for them to play. We weren’t able to win with ‘Plan A’. We had to go out and win with ‘Plan B’. Our guys did a good job of showing maturity in that. - Knoll on SMU match
TOP QUOTE #3
“We really challenged Jimmy. He wasn’t himself on Saturday. Today he was himself. Sometimes it is not about how you play tennis, it is about how you manage your emotions and handle your energy level. Today he did a super job of that.” - Knoll on Jimmy Bendeck
TOP QUOTE #4
“We are really thrilled with where Constantin is at. He has some weapons and he is really embracing a game-style that is repeatable. We think if he continues to work and improve there is a really bright future for him.” - Knoll on Constantin Frantzen
