WACO, Texas – The No. 17 Baylor men's tennis team will host two formidable opponents from the Grand Canyon State this weekend. The Bears face No. 32 Arizona State at 6 p.m. on Friday and No. 15 Arizona at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
The Bears (13-7) return to Waco seeking redemption after a hard-fought 4-3 loss to Arizona State (9-6) last Sunday in the UTR Sports College Championships at the BNP Paribas Open. Baylor narrowly dropped the doubles point in two tiebreakers and fell just short of completing a comeback after trailing 3-2. The Sun Devils, riding a three-match winning streak, have thrived this month, with their only March loss coming against Arizona.
 
Arizona State's singles lineup features two ranked players who have been instrumental in their success. No. 50 Bor Artnak (11-4) has been a standout on Court One, posting a 10-4 record this season and going 3-1 against nationally ranked opponents, including a victory over Baylor's No. 44 Devin Badenhorst last weekend. No. 110 Mathis Bondaz (6-4) has also been impressive, particularly on Court Two, where he holds a 6-3 record and is currently on a four-match winning streak. Additionally, Roi Ginat has been a reliable contributor on Courts Five and Six, boasting an 8-2 record this spring.
 
In doubles, the Sun Devils hold two ranked pairs: No. 48 Artnak/Dimic and No. 66 Artnak/Phillips. The latter duo secured a crucial tiebreaker victory over Baylor's No. 17 Miladinovic/Brostrom Poulsen last Sunday, helping Arizona State clinch the doubles point.
 
Two days later, the Bears will face an even tougher test against No. 15 Arizona (15-3). The Wildcats have been one of the nation's top teams this season, with notable wins over No. 21 Pepperdine and No. 7 San Diego. Arizona bears three losses this spring. One to Michigan State, and two to UCF, one of which was last Sunday.
 
Arizona's singles lineup is headlined by two top 10 players: No. 4 Colton Smith and No. 8 Jay Friend. Together, they have lost just one match this spring, with Smith remaining undefeated. No. 89 Zoran Ludoski rounds out their ranked singles players, holding a 5-5 record with three wins against ranked opponents. Baylor will need standout performances from their own ranked players—No. 44 Devin Badenhorst, No. 101 Oskar Brostrom Poulsen, and No. 103 Zsombor Velcz—to challenge Arizona's lineup.
 
In doubles, the Wildcats are equally strong, featuring two ranked pairs: No. 33 Friend/Padgham and No. 64 Cabrera-Bello/Smith. The duo of Friend/Smith has been particularly dominant, with an 11-1 record this spring. Baylor's doubles teams, led by No. 17 Miladinovic/Brostrom Poulsen, will need to be at their best to counter Arizona's .702 match-winning percentage in doubles.
 
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