Saturday, April 23
Fort Worth, Texas
3pm
Baylor
4
vs
2
Texas
Photo by: Big 12 Conference
No. 4 MT Bests No. 12 Texas to Advance to Big 12 Championship
4/23/2022 8:58:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Second-seeded Bears defeated the third-seeded Longhorns, 4-2, in Fort Worth
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
FORT WORTH – On the ropes and needing to pull out a pair of three-setters, the fourth-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis team did just that, defeating 12th-ranked and third-seeded Texas, 4-2, to earn a spot in Sunday's final of the Big 12 Championship.
Beaten convincingly in two previous matchups, the Longhorns (16-10) pushed the Bears (25-3) in Saturday's semifinal and were actually in position to close it out with Richard Ciamarra up 4-1 on Sven Lah in the third set on Court 3 and Eliot Spizzirri hanging with third-ranked Adrian Boitan at No. 1 singles.
"So much credit to Texas, it's hard to overcome losing to a team twice," Baylor coach Michael Woodson said, "and they absolutely had us on the ropes there."
The momentum took a big swing the other way, though, when Lah won five-straight games to defeat Ciamarra, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4. TCU transfer Tadeas Paroulek got the clincher just moments later, getting up a break early and finishing off the Longhorns' Chih Chi Huang, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, on Court 5.
"That was a collective team effort," Lah said. "If one of us maybe gets a little sloppy, doesn't finish it, there are still two guys out there to get the job done. I felt like we did a really good job of staying in there, helping each other when it was tough and I guess executing together."
Making their fourth-consecutive Big 12 tournament final, the Bears will face top-ranked and top-seeded TCU (23-3) in Sunday's championship at the Bayard Friedman Tennis Center, starting no earlier than 1:30 p.m. Baylor split two matches against TCU, winning 5-2 on March 25 in Fort Worth and losing 4-3 nine days later in Waco.
"It's another huge battle between us and TCU," junior Finn Bass said. "We love playing them here. It's going to be no different than any time we play TCU. Just looking forward to the challenge, and we'll be ready to compete and give it our all."
In what proved to be a critical point, Boitan and Paroulek beat TCU's Huang and Eshan Talluri, 7-6(7), in the clincher after the sixth-ranked duo of Lah and Bass rolled over third-ranked Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper, 6-2, at No. 1.
"We're catching the rhythm at the right time," Lah said. "If we continue to play like this – aggressive, hit our serves – I feel like we're going to be in a good spot."
Trailing on five of the six singles courts at one point, Baylor was able to rally and win a pair of tiebreakers and split the first sets. Lah overcame a 1-5 deficit to pull out a tiebreaker against Ciamarra, while Bass dug out of a 3-5 hole and saved four set points at 5-6, love-40 before winning the first of two breakers over UT's Siem Woldeab at No. 4.
"One thing I did well was play the big points really well," said Bass, who won, 7-6(4), 7-6(5). "I think that was the big difference in today's match. I managed to keep myself calm under pressure, but also get myself pumped up in the big moments. And luckily, I was able to close it out in a really good battle."
Texas actually took a 2-1 lead with straight-set wins at Nos. 2 and 6. Harper defeated Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, 6-3, 6-4, and Pierre-Yves Bailly dominated the second set in a 7-5, 6-1 win over Matias Soto on Court 2.
Bass tied it at 2-2 with his win over Woldeab, leaving it to be decided by three-setters on the remaining three courts.
"What an awesome college tennis match," Woodson said. "This is what it's all about. Two teams, two national powers, competing at the very highest level, leaving everything they have out on the court with an awesome atmosphere. Great crowd that was into it. It was fun. You could cut the tension with a butter knife."
While the Bears closed it out with the wins by Lah and Paroulek, Boitan remained unbeaten in dual-match play, leading Spizzirri, 4-6, 7-5, 4-3, when the match was clinched.
"They're so well-coached and just a world-class group of guys," Woodson said of Texas. "They compete their hearts out, and it was tough to see them go down, but I know they're going to make a great run in the (NCAA) tournament.
"We're just excited to have another opportunity to play TCU. This is what it's all about, and we're looking forward to it."
Top-seeded Oklahoma faces No. 2 seed Texas in the women's final at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by Baylor versus the TCU men.
FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 4-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis team took the win over third-seeded and 12th-ranked Texas on Saturday afternoon on the public courts of the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, 4-2, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship.
The Bears (25-3) defeated the Longhorns (16-10) to advance to Sunday's championship match and continue their six-match winning streak.
THE RUNDOWN
The first doubles match was won by Texas on court two, with No. 17-ranked Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab winning 6-3 over No. 15-ranked Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi and Matias Soto. Court one evened it up with a 6-2 decision from No. 6-ranked Sven Lah and Finn Bass over No. 3 Richard Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper. The Bears took the doubles point with a 7-6(7) decision on court three from Adrian Boitan and Tadeas Paroulek over Chih Chi Huang and Eshan Talluri.
With the wins, Boitan and Paroulek improve to 13-4 while Lah and Bass improved to 13-6, all on court one. Grassi Mazzuchi and Soto are now 18-4, all on court two.
In singles, court six finished first, with UT's 114th-ranked Cleeve Harper besting Grassi Mazzuchi, 6-3, 6-4 to even the score at 1-1. No. 41 ranked Pierre-Yves Bailly bested No. 43 Soto, 7-5, 6-1, on court two to give the Longhorns the slight advantage at 2-1. Bass came roaring back and defeated No. 95 Siem Woldeab on court four, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), to even out the match.
Carrying that momentum, No. 77 Lah defeated No. 95 Ciamarra on court three, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, to push the Bears to 3-2 over UT. Clinching the match for BU was Tadeas Paroulek on court five, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, over No. 114 Huang. Third-ranked Boitan went unfinished in the third set on court one with No. 60 Eliot Spizzirri, 4-6, 7-5, 4-3.
Boitan remains 17-0, all on court one, while Bass improves to 18-6 in dual play, Lah to 15-6 on the spring, and Paroulek to 12-2 for dual season. Grassi Mazzuchi is now 22-3 while Soto is 12-8.
NEXT UP
The Bears will face number one-seeded, top-ranked TCU on Sunday, not before 1:30 p.m. CT. The men's championship match will play right after the women's championship is completed.
This will be the third match of the season between TCU and BU, the first coming on March 25 in Fort Worth where the Bears won 5-2. The two teams met again in Big 12 play, this time at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, with the Frogs winning, 4-3.
Baylor has won four out of the last five matches against TCU, two taking place at the Friedman Tennis Center.
Boitan won both his matches against the Frogs, both on court one. The first was against Juan Carlos Aguilar, while the second came against Luc Fomba. Paroulek also went 2-0 against his former team, the first against Pedro Vives Marcos who retired in the third set, and the second against Tomas Jirousek. Rounding out the undefeateds was Grassi Mazzuchi, who won both his matches on court six, against Jirousek and Tim Ruehl, respectively. Bass went 1-1 against TCU on court four against the Frogs.
The match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Kris Budden providing play by play and Craig Karseno providing commentary. Live stats for the match can be found here.
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
#4 [2 seed] Baylor (4) vs. #12 [3 seed] Texas (2)
Fort Worth, Texas – Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. #3 Adrian Boitan (BU) def. #60 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 4-6, 7-5, 4-3 unfinished
2. #41 Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. #43 Matias Soto (BU) 7-5, 6-1
3. #77 Sven Lah (BU) def. #95 Richard Ciamarra (UT) 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4
4. Finn Bass (BU) def. Siem Woldeab (UT) 7-6(4), 7-6(5)
5. Tadeas Paroulek (BU) def. #114 Chih Chi Huang (UT) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
6. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (BU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 2, 4, 3, 5
DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. #6 Sven Lah/Finn Bass (BU) def. #3 Richard Ciamarra/Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-2
2. #17 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. #15 Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi/Matias Soto (BU) 6-3
3. Adrian Boitan/Tadeas Paroulek (BU) def. Chih Chi Huang/Eshan Talluri (UT) 7-6(7)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
- BaylorBears.com -
Baylor Bear Insider
FORT WORTH – On the ropes and needing to pull out a pair of three-setters, the fourth-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis team did just that, defeating 12th-ranked and third-seeded Texas, 4-2, to earn a spot in Sunday's final of the Big 12 Championship.
Beaten convincingly in two previous matchups, the Longhorns (16-10) pushed the Bears (25-3) in Saturday's semifinal and were actually in position to close it out with Richard Ciamarra up 4-1 on Sven Lah in the third set on Court 3 and Eliot Spizzirri hanging with third-ranked Adrian Boitan at No. 1 singles.
"So much credit to Texas, it's hard to overcome losing to a team twice," Baylor coach Michael Woodson said, "and they absolutely had us on the ropes there."
The momentum took a big swing the other way, though, when Lah won five-straight games to defeat Ciamarra, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4. TCU transfer Tadeas Paroulek got the clincher just moments later, getting up a break early and finishing off the Longhorns' Chih Chi Huang, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, on Court 5.
"That was a collective team effort," Lah said. "If one of us maybe gets a little sloppy, doesn't finish it, there are still two guys out there to get the job done. I felt like we did a really good job of staying in there, helping each other when it was tough and I guess executing together."
Making their fourth-consecutive Big 12 tournament final, the Bears will face top-ranked and top-seeded TCU (23-3) in Sunday's championship at the Bayard Friedman Tennis Center, starting no earlier than 1:30 p.m. Baylor split two matches against TCU, winning 5-2 on March 25 in Fort Worth and losing 4-3 nine days later in Waco.
"It's another huge battle between us and TCU," junior Finn Bass said. "We love playing them here. It's going to be no different than any time we play TCU. Just looking forward to the challenge, and we'll be ready to compete and give it our all."
In what proved to be a critical point, Boitan and Paroulek beat TCU's Huang and Eshan Talluri, 7-6(7), in the clincher after the sixth-ranked duo of Lah and Bass rolled over third-ranked Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper, 6-2, at No. 1.
"We're catching the rhythm at the right time," Lah said. "If we continue to play like this – aggressive, hit our serves – I feel like we're going to be in a good spot."
Trailing on five of the six singles courts at one point, Baylor was able to rally and win a pair of tiebreakers and split the first sets. Lah overcame a 1-5 deficit to pull out a tiebreaker against Ciamarra, while Bass dug out of a 3-5 hole and saved four set points at 5-6, love-40 before winning the first of two breakers over UT's Siem Woldeab at No. 4.
"One thing I did well was play the big points really well," said Bass, who won, 7-6(4), 7-6(5). "I think that was the big difference in today's match. I managed to keep myself calm under pressure, but also get myself pumped up in the big moments. And luckily, I was able to close it out in a really good battle."
Texas actually took a 2-1 lead with straight-set wins at Nos. 2 and 6. Harper defeated Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, 6-3, 6-4, and Pierre-Yves Bailly dominated the second set in a 7-5, 6-1 win over Matias Soto on Court 2.
Bass tied it at 2-2 with his win over Woldeab, leaving it to be decided by three-setters on the remaining three courts.
"What an awesome college tennis match," Woodson said. "This is what it's all about. Two teams, two national powers, competing at the very highest level, leaving everything they have out on the court with an awesome atmosphere. Great crowd that was into it. It was fun. You could cut the tension with a butter knife."
While the Bears closed it out with the wins by Lah and Paroulek, Boitan remained unbeaten in dual-match play, leading Spizzirri, 4-6, 7-5, 4-3, when the match was clinched.
"They're so well-coached and just a world-class group of guys," Woodson said of Texas. "They compete their hearts out, and it was tough to see them go down, but I know they're going to make a great run in the (NCAA) tournament.
"We're just excited to have another opportunity to play TCU. This is what it's all about, and we're looking forward to it."
Top-seeded Oklahoma faces No. 2 seed Texas in the women's final at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by Baylor versus the TCU men.
FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 4-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis team took the win over third-seeded and 12th-ranked Texas on Saturday afternoon on the public courts of the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center, 4-2, in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship.
The Bears (25-3) defeated the Longhorns (16-10) to advance to Sunday's championship match and continue their six-match winning streak.
THE RUNDOWN
The first doubles match was won by Texas on court two, with No. 17-ranked Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab winning 6-3 over No. 15-ranked Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi and Matias Soto. Court one evened it up with a 6-2 decision from No. 6-ranked Sven Lah and Finn Bass over No. 3 Richard Ciamarra and Cleeve Harper. The Bears took the doubles point with a 7-6(7) decision on court three from Adrian Boitan and Tadeas Paroulek over Chih Chi Huang and Eshan Talluri.
With the wins, Boitan and Paroulek improve to 13-4 while Lah and Bass improved to 13-6, all on court one. Grassi Mazzuchi and Soto are now 18-4, all on court two.
In singles, court six finished first, with UT's 114th-ranked Cleeve Harper besting Grassi Mazzuchi, 6-3, 6-4 to even the score at 1-1. No. 41 ranked Pierre-Yves Bailly bested No. 43 Soto, 7-5, 6-1, on court two to give the Longhorns the slight advantage at 2-1. Bass came roaring back and defeated No. 95 Siem Woldeab on court four, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), to even out the match.
Carrying that momentum, No. 77 Lah defeated No. 95 Ciamarra on court three, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, to push the Bears to 3-2 over UT. Clinching the match for BU was Tadeas Paroulek on court five, winning 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, over No. 114 Huang. Third-ranked Boitan went unfinished in the third set on court one with No. 60 Eliot Spizzirri, 4-6, 7-5, 4-3.
Boitan remains 17-0, all on court one, while Bass improves to 18-6 in dual play, Lah to 15-6 on the spring, and Paroulek to 12-2 for dual season. Grassi Mazzuchi is now 22-3 while Soto is 12-8.
NEXT UP
The Bears will face number one-seeded, top-ranked TCU on Sunday, not before 1:30 p.m. CT. The men's championship match will play right after the women's championship is completed.
This will be the third match of the season between TCU and BU, the first coming on March 25 in Fort Worth where the Bears won 5-2. The two teams met again in Big 12 play, this time at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, with the Frogs winning, 4-3.
Baylor has won four out of the last five matches against TCU, two taking place at the Friedman Tennis Center.
Boitan won both his matches against the Frogs, both on court one. The first was against Juan Carlos Aguilar, while the second came against Luc Fomba. Paroulek also went 2-0 against his former team, the first against Pedro Vives Marcos who retired in the third set, and the second against Tomas Jirousek. Rounding out the undefeateds was Grassi Mazzuchi, who won both his matches on court six, against Jirousek and Tim Ruehl, respectively. Bass went 1-1 against TCU on court four against the Frogs.
The match will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with Kris Budden providing play by play and Craig Karseno providing commentary. Live stats for the match can be found here.
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
#4 [2 seed] Baylor (4) vs. #12 [3 seed] Texas (2)
Fort Worth, Texas – Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. #3 Adrian Boitan (BU) def. #60 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 4-6, 7-5, 4-3 unfinished
2. #41 Pierre-Yves Bailly (UT) def. #43 Matias Soto (BU) 7-5, 6-1
3. #77 Sven Lah (BU) def. #95 Richard Ciamarra (UT) 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4
4. Finn Bass (BU) def. Siem Woldeab (UT) 7-6(4), 7-6(5)
5. Tadeas Paroulek (BU) def. #114 Chih Chi Huang (UT) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
6. Cleeve Harper (UT) def. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (BU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: 6, 2, 4, 3, 5
DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. #6 Sven Lah/Finn Bass (BU) def. #3 Richard Ciamarra/Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-2
2. #17 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) def. #15 Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi/Matias Soto (BU) 6-3
3. Adrian Boitan/Tadeas Paroulek (BU) def. Chih Chi Huang/Eshan Talluri (UT) 7-6(7)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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