For the second time in 2017, the 14th-ranked Baylor men’s tennis team beat No. 20 Texas A&M 4-0 Sunday in a neutral site contest at the Downtown Club at the Met.
Eight days ago on Jan. 28 then 21st-ranked Baylor took down No. 15 Texas A&M, 4-3, in College Station. However, Sunday’s match took one hour less than that contest.
The Bears rolled to the doubles point. First Jimmy Bendeck and Will Little beat Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin, 6-4, at the No. 3 position. Then Juan Benitez and Constantin Frantzen controlled Aleksandre Bakshi and AJ Catanzariti, 6-4.
In singles, the 44th-ranked Max Tchoutakian put the Bears up 2-0 with a 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Catanzariti at the No. 2 spot. Overall, Baylor won five of six first sets, while Little was next to convert that early advantage into a victory as he cruised past Bakshi, 6-3, 6-3, on court five.
Just as he had done eight days ago, freshman Constantin Frantzen clinched the match for BU, beating Valentin Vacherot, 6-3, 6-3, at the bottom of the lineup.
OTHER NOTABLES
• Baylor is now 6-0 on the season and Texas A&M is 1-3,
• Baylor trails the all-time series against Texas A&M, 34-22-1, but owns a 21-9 record under head coach Matt Knoll. The Bears have won 11 of the last 16 vs. the Aggies and 21 of the last 28 meetings.
• BU has shutout four of its six opponents.
TOP QUOTE #1
“One of the things I feel good about is that we have improved. I think last time we had some jitters with so many younger guys. I feel like we have settled in and are just playing a little bit better. I thought we played well against Lamar and I think we played better today. That is something we hopefully can keep building on.” - head coach Matt Knoll on the match
TOP QUOTE #2
“We have practiced doubles more than any year I can remember. It is because when we got together we were so bad. We just had to put a lot of time into it so we didn’t embarrass ourselves. Clearly all that time we have put into it has made a difference.” - Knoll on doubles play
TOP QUOTE #3
“We got a lot of guys that can play and we want to get them all opportunities. We are in a good position where we have a little depth. Constantin is maturing. He has got some weapons and he really listens. He has a great demeanor with a relaxed intensity, which will be important for him going forward.” - Knoll on his singles lineup
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will now host Purdue on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. CT at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
