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<a name="_Hlk490052374"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS –
</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">May 26, 2021<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">MT Continues Historic Run in NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
<br>
</span></b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Boitan dominates, Frantzen and Lah survive to give BU participants in both Final Fours for first time in program history<br>
</span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> Max Calderone, 254-265-1639,
</span><a href="mailto:Max_Calderone@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Max_Calderone@Baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
</span><b><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
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</span><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">THE RUNDOWN<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">ORLANDO, Fla. –</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"> On his seventh-consecutive
day of competition, Baylor men’s tennis third-year sophomore Adrian Boitan booked his spot in the NCAA singles semifinals with an impressive victory on Wednesday afternoon at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.<br>
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Facing the only 10-time All-American in collegiate tennis history, No. 21 Boitan stepped up to the task to defeat No. 35 William Blumberg of North Carolina in dominating fashion, 6-4, 6-1.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Then, No. 9 Constantin Frantzen/Sven Lah edged Blumberg and doubles partner Brian Cernoch, the No. 3 ranked duo in the nation, 6-4, 0-6, 10-7,
to join Boitan in their respective tournament’s semifinals.<br>
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This is the first year in program history that Baylor has participants in both the NCAA singles and doubles semifinals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">With his individual win, Boitan becomes the fourth Bear in program history to reach the Final Four of the NCAA Singles Championship and first
since Benedikt Dorsch did so in 2005. BU is 3-0 all-time in the NCAA singles semifinals, as Dorsch reached the championship match twice (2003 and 2005) and Benjamin Becker did so once (2004).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">Boitan is currently riding a 13-match unbeaten streak that includes a career-best nine-match winning streak. He has gone 15-1 in his last 20
outings including four unfinished contests.<br>
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The Constanta, Romania, native is the only unseeded player remaining in the tournament and the lowest ranked behind No. 1 Liam Draxl (Kentucky), No. 2 Daniel Rodrigues (South Carolina) and No. 6 Sam Riffice (Florida).<br>
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As for doubles, Frantzen and Lah become just the second Bear pairing to reach the semifinals, only previously done before in 2015 by Diego Galeano/Julian Lenz.<br>
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Baylor is the only team with remaining participants in both the singles and doubles tournaments. Six other schools are represented in the semifinals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b>TOP QUOTES<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Wednesday, May 26</b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Head Coach Michael Woodson<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">On Boitan’s performance…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">“It’s been a really tough couple of weeks for him. For him to come in there today and have the type of focus and intensity that he needed to perform at that level against maybe
the best college tennis player of the last decade was extremely impressive. I’m very proud of him and what he was able to do in one of the highest pressure situations that he’s had here in Orlando. It’s exciting to see him get some of the recognition that
we feel he deserves after these last couple years. He continues to put in the hard work and keep his head down and just display great intensity on the court but great humility off the court. I’m extremely proud of him and look forward to him continuing the
tournament.”<br>
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<i>On the doubles win…<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">“I thought we started out with really good energy. The level of all four players in the match was extremely high throughout. We were able to execute right at the end of the first
set to get that break we needed to win the set, and going into the second we just lost a couple of deuce games. Our guys picked up their energy very noticeably at the start of the breaker and that’s really all it is. We executed a few really good plays and
came up with some great shots to build up a nice lead. It was an incredibly high-level match. Hats off to Will Blumberg on an amazing career. It was an honor for us to be able to compete with him today.”
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Third-year sophomore Adrian Boitan<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">On defeating 10-time All-American William Blumberg…<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">“I knew that he’s been the most dominant player in college tennis over the last four or five years. This whole season, I’ve wanted to play and beat him. Our match at national
indoors helped me a lot to learn things about his game and about my game, and what I need to do to put myself in a better spot. Today I felt like I executed the plan really well and got it done.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt"><br>
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">WHAT’S NEXT<br>
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">No. 21 Boitan will face South Carolina’s No. 2-ranked Rodrigues on Thursday at 1 p.m. CT with a trip to the NCAA Singles Championship on the line.<br>
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No. 9 Frantzen/Lah will take on No. 4 Pat Harper/Adam Walton of Tennessee at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday in a rematch of the No. 1 doubles line matchup of the NCAA semifinals.<br>
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For the latest news on the Baylor men’s tennis team all season long, follow their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.<br>
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<i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;letter-spacing:.25pt">-BaylorBears.com-</span></i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"-webkit-standard",serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#154734">Max Calderone</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (VB, MTEN, EQ)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">O: 254-710-3073 | C: 254-265-1639</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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