No. 4 Baylor MT Takes 4-1 Win Over No. 58 Illinois

[Allen, Madelon]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 4, 2022





No. 4 Baylor MT Takes 4-1 Win Over No. 58 Illinois
Bears improve to 15-1 on the season with win in Atkins Tennis Center
contact: Madelon Allen, 254-252-7168, Madelon_Allen at Baylor.edu<mailto:Madelon_Allen at Baylor.edu>


URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 4 Baylor men’s tennis bested No. 58 Illinois with a clean 4-1 win in the Atkins Tennis Center on Friday night.

The Bears improve to 15-1 on the season while the Illini fall to 3-7 after BU posted four straight-set victories to take the match after losing the doubles point.

THE RUNDOWN
In doubles, the No. 24 pair of Matias Soto and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi bested Olivier Stuart/Siphosothando Montsi on court two, 6-2, to start the Bears off right. Court three of Ethan Muza and Tadeas Paroulek finished next, but fell 6-2 to Alex Brown/Gabrielius Guzauskas. It came down to court one with the No. 40-ranked pairing of Lucas Horve/Hunter Heck besting No. 19 Sven Lah and Finn Bass at 7-6 (11-9) to take the lead.

Soto and Grassi Mazzuchi improve to 11-2 as a duo with the win, while No. 19 Bass/Lah are 7-3 and the new pairing of Muza/Paroulek are 0-1.

In singles, Grassi Mazzuchi made it his fifth dual match on the season getting the first singles win for BU. He bested Guzauskas on court five with a cool 6-2, 6-1 to tie the match at 1-1 with the Illini. Marko Miladinović followed it up with a win of his own on court three, defeating Heck at 6-4, 6-2.

Pushing Baylor to 3-1 over Illinois was No. 110 Soto on court one, besting Montsi at a quick 6-2, 6-2. It was No. 106 Paroulek to clinch the match for the Bears and solidify a 4-0 comeback for BU with his 6-0, 7-5 win over Horve on court six.

No. 42 Lah went unfinished on court two against Stuart at 6-3, 3-5, while Bass went unfinished against Brown at 4-6, 6-4, 1-0.

Grassi Mazzuchi improves to 13-1, Soto to 8-2, Miladinović to 5-3 and Paroulek to 4-1, all in dual play. Bass stays at 11-2 while Lah remains at 8-3 for the spring.

QUOTABLE – Head Coach Michael Woodson
“We did a really good job of getting used to the conditions. It was a lot different than being in Norman and I’m always impressed with Illinois and what a great event they put on. That puts a lot of pressure on the road team, it’s a difficult place to play. We got off to a pretty lethargic start in the doubles, they were coached well and gave themselves a chance. We did a great job to battle back on court one and have opportunities to close it out but unfortunately, we lost the dubs again. WE did a really good job of not letting that momentum affect us; we were able to get on top of them in singles early. We had some difficult moments, played some tight deuce points, it was extremely loud especially in the middle of the facility and we were able to handle that well. We didn’t get distracted, stayed focused on our court and kept our composure. To stretch those leads and take four straight-set singles wins was really impressive. Marko and Teddy did a really good job, it was a tough environment for them last week and they did a really nice job of staying focused and not letting the environment get to them. They were much improved and should gain a lot of confidence from this.”

NEXT UP
The Bears head to Arizona to face Arizona State on March 9 and then Arizona on March 11.

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 Baylor (4) at #58 Illinois (1)
Urbana-Champaign, Ill. – Atkins Tennis Center
SINGLES COMPETITION
1. #110 Matias Soto (BU) def. Siphosothando Montsi (ILL) 6-2, 6-2
2. #42 Sven Lah (BU) vs. #108 Olivier Stuart (ILL) 6-3, 3-5 unfinished
3. Marko Miladinović (BU) def. Hunter Heck (ILL) 6-4, 6-2
4. Finn Bass (BU) vs. Alex Brown (ILL) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 unfinished
5. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi (BU) def. Gabrielius Guzauskas (ILL) 6-2, 6-1
6. #106 Tadeas Paroulek (BU) def. Lucas Horve (ILL) 6-0, 7-5
Order of finish: 5, 3, 1, 6

DOUBLES COMPETITION
1. #40 Lucas Horve/Hunter Heck (ILL) def. #19 Sven Lah/Finn Bass (BU) 7-6(9)
2. #24 Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi/Matias Soto (BU) def. Olivier Stuart/Siphosothando Montsi (ILL) 6-2
3. Alex Brown/Gabrielius Guzauskas (ILL) def. Ethan Muza/Tadeas Paroulek (BU) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1


- BaylorBears.com -


__________________________________

Madelon Allen | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (VB, MTEN, A&T)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-252-7168

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