No. 2 MT Sweeps William & Mary to Start ITA Kickoff

Sunday, January 30

Waco, Texas

2PM

Baylor

William & Mary

No. 2 MT Sweeps William & Mary to Start ITA Kickoff

1/30/2022 6:14:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Bears best W&M for 21st ITA Kickoff win

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Particularly in singles, the second-ranked Baylor men's tennis team got a test from William & Mary in Sunday's ITA Kick-Off Weekend match that was "exactly what we needed."
            The Bears (5-0) dropped two first sets and had to pull out a tiebreaker in another one, but still swept the visiting Tribe, 4-0, in advancing to face Miami (5-0) in Monday's 2 p.m. championship at the Hurd Tennis Center.
            "We knew we had to be prepared for a tough match," Baylor coach Michael Woodson said. "They really pushed us, which was exactly what we needed. It's hard to come outside for the first time and compete, even if you've been practicing outdoors. It wasn't our best tennis, but we did a good job of having good energy and competing hard and playing the big points well when we needed to."
            Improving to 21-0 all-time in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, Baylor dominated the opening doubles point, losing a combined two games in the three matches.
            The Bears' No. 2 team of Matias Soto and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi swept Joseph Brailovsky and Chen Ruo, 6-0, then the 18^th-ranked duo of Sven Lah and Finn Bass clinched it with a 6-1 win over the Tribe's Harrison Brown and George Davis.
            "We're kind of getting in a rhythm," said Lah, who picked up his 101^st career doubles victory. "It's always good to get that rhythm and get a lot of matches in before (Monday), for example, because we're going to play the best team so far this season."
            Baylor's No. 3 team of Adrian Boitan and Tadeas Paroulek didn't finish, but they were leading Finbar Talcott and Daniel Pellerito, 5-1, when the point was clinched.
            "I thought we played great doubles today," Woodson said. "We really owned our serves and returns and made it hard on William & Mary. That was a little less apparent in singles, but it actually gave us some difficult situations that allowed us to compete under pressure, which was really good for us."
            While singles certainly weren't easy, the match was never in doubt. Freshman Marko Miladinovic and junior Finn Bass dropped their opening sets at No. 4 and 5 singles, respectively, but they were both on the verge of splitting sets when the match ended.
            Grassi Mazzuchi got the next point on the board, wasting no time in finishing off Pellerito, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 6.
            "I always like to finish quick," said Grassi Mazzuchi, a fourth-year junior transfer from UCF. "I think it gives some perspective for the team and for the other guys who are still playing."
            Lah was next to the finish line, defeating Sebastian Quiros, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 3. Soto was also in position at No. 2, leading Brown, 7-6(4), 4-1, but Boitan got there first, defeating Davis, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 1 to clinch the 4-0 team victory.
            "Ultimately, you want them to trust their games and to play their style of tennis in pressure situations," Woodson said. "You want to be able to win or lose those points playing the right way, playing in a game style that they own, that they're confident in. And I thought we did that today. Maybe we didn't execute sometimes in pressure situations, but I think we made good decisions and it will pay off over time."
            Miami beat ACC rival Clemson, 4-1, in the other first-round match in Waco, winning the doubles with a tiebreaker at No. 2, then clinching it with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win by Benjamin Hannestad over Jorge Plans Gonzalez at No. 3 singles.
            Baylor is 1-1 versus the Hurricanes, winning the first-ever meeting, 4-0, in 2000, then falling 5-2 the next year in the return match in Miami. William & Mary (0-2) faces Clemson (3-1) in the consolation match at 11 a.m., followed by Baylor versus Miami at 2 p.m., with live scoring and video streaming available at baylorbears.com.
            "Looking forward to being able to compete again (Monday)," Woodson said. "It's always good to advance in the Kick-Off Weekend. It's never easy. It's going to be a tough one against a very solid, feisty Miami team."

WACO, Texas – The No. 2 Baylor men's tennis team swept William & Mary, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center, keeping the Bears' season and ITA Kickoff record perfect.

BU, now 5-0 on the season, is 21-0 all-time when playing in ITA Kickoff Weekend.

Four of the Bears' five wins in dual play have been sweeps of their opponent. Baylor has now had 21 sweeps under second-year head coach Michael Woodson.

In doubles, the duo of Matias Soto and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi started the Bears off with a 6-0 sweep of W&M's Joseph Brailovsky/Chen Ruo on court two. The pair are now 3-0 on the season when playing doubles together, all in the second position. It was the 18^th-ranked BU twosome of Sven Lah and Finn Bass who clinched the point for Baylor, 6-1, over Harrison Brown/George Davis of the Tribe. Lah and Bass are now 5-0 on the season, all on court one.

On the singles side, Grassi Mazzuchi made quick work of Daniel Pellerito on court six, winning 6-2, 6-1 to finish first for the Bears. The Baylor newcomer is now 5-0 in the green and gold. Following the Argentinian's win was Lah on court three, beating Sebastian Quiros 6-2, 6-3 to earn the third point for BU. Baylor clinched the win with Adrian Boitan's win on court one over Davis, 6-4, 6-2. Boitan and Lah are both now 4-0 in dual play this season.

Three matches went unfinished, including Marko Miladinović's, who saw his first match as a Baylor Bear facing Jack Kelly in the fourth position. The other two unfinished matches were Finn Bass on court five and Matias Soto on court two.

The Bears will face Miami in the championship at 2 p.m. on Monday afternoon, as Miami defeated Clemson, 4-1, in the earlier matchup on the day. Baylor and the Hurricanes look to advance to the ITA Indoor National Championship with a win. Clemson will play William & Mary in the consolation matchup at 11 a.m.

If Baylor makes it to Seattle, Washington, for ITA Indoors, it will be their 11^th trip to the tournament and second under Woodson.

A full recap and final statistics from the match with Miami will be uploaded to BaylorBears.com after the conclusion of the match. Live stats and live streaming are available on the men's tennis page.

QUOTABLE – head coach Michael Woodson
"It was great to be back outside at Hurd again competing. The fans were great and the energy was good. We knew we had to be prepared for a tough match, they play disciplined tennis and they really pushed us today. It wasn't our best tennis but we competed hard and played the big points well when we needed to. It's always good to advance in Kickoff Weekend and we're looking forward to the chance to compete again tomorrow."

QUOTABLE – Senior Sven Lah
"Finn Bass and I are getting a rhythm in, in the fall we felt like we struggled a little bit but this start has been okay. I think it was helpful to get so many matches in early as we're going to be playing the best team we've seen so far this season tomorrow. I enjoy playing with Finn and it's always good to get a win."

QUOTABLE – Junior Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi
"It was good - winning quickly in doubles and singles. I think it gives some perspective for the team and for the other guys still playing. I feel like winning in doubles helps keep your energy up; you always have to keep the energy. If you lose the doubles point it's hard to bounce back."

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor men's tennis, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorMTennis.

TENNIS RESULTS
#2 Baylor (4) vs. William & Mary (0)
Waco, Texas – Hurd Tennis Center
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. Adrian Boitan (BU) def. George Davis (WM) 6-4, 6-2
2. Matias Soto (BU) def. Harrison Brown (WM) 7-6(4), 4-1 unfinished
3. Sven Lah (BU) def. Sebastian Quiros (WM) 6-2, 6-3
4. Marko Miladinović (BU) def. Jack Kelly (WM) 5-7, 5-3 unfinished
5. Finn Bass (BU) vs. Joseph Brailovsky (WM) 3-6, 6-5 unfinished
6. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (BU) def. Daniel Pellerito (WM) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 3, 1

DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. #18 Sven Lah/Finn Bass (BU) def. Harrison Brown/George Davis (WM) 6-1
2. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi/Matias Soto (BU) def. Joseph Brailovsky/Chen Ruo (WM) 6-0
3. Adrian Boitan/Tadeas Paroulek vs. Finbar Talcott/Daniel Pellerito (WM) 5-1 unfinished
Order of finish: 3, 1

- BaylorBears.com -