The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Baylor University
No. 2 Men’s Tennis falls to No. 3 Baylor, 4-0, in Big 12 Championship final
04.26.2021 | Men's Tennis
The Longhorns made their third-straight finals appearance and will now host an NCAA Regional from May 7-9 at the Texas Tennis Center.
Waco, Texas – No. 2 Texas Men's Tennis fell to No. 3 Baylor, 4-0, in the Big 12 Championship final in Waco at the Hurd Tennis Center on Monday. It was the Longhorns' third-straight finals appearance.
Baylor took the doubles point and then singles matches at Nos. 2, 5 and 1 for the win in the teams' second meeting in Waco in the last two weeks after Texas won, 5-2, on April 15.
At No. 2, freshman No. 39 Micah Braswell fell to No. 8 Matias Soto, 6-1, 6-3. Soto used a break in the second game for a 2-0 lead, but Braswell broke back on a deuce point before Soto went on a 4-0 run for the set. In the second, the first four games stayed on serve starting with Braswell, but Soto broke and then held for 4-2. Braswell pulled back to within one in the next game, but Soto closed with the last two.
Court 5 finished next with junior Chih Chi Huang falling to Charlie Broom, 6-3, 6-2. The match opened on serve up to 2-2, but Broom broke and then held on a deuce point to take a 4-2 lead. Huang took the next game on serve, but Broom grabbed the last two games to win that frame and then used a 4-0 run in the second to a establish a 5-1 lead before winning at 6-2.
The Bears closed the match with a 6-4, 6-4 win by No. 41 Adrian Boitan over sophomore No. 21 Eliot Spizzirri at No. 1. The first six games of the match stayed on serve, but three consecutive breaks then gave Boitan a 5-4 lead with the last coming on a deuce point. He closed the set on serve in the next game, and then won the first two of the second with a break in the first game. That break would be the difference with the rest of the set staying on serve.
In the unfinished matches, sophomore No. 85 Siem Woldeab won his opening set against Nick Stachowiak at No. 3 and the score stood at 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 when play stopped. Sophomore No. 109 Cleeve Harper's first two sets went by the same scores but reversed at 4-6, 6-3 against Sven Lah at No. 4 with that match beginning its third set, while junior Nevin Arimilli trailed Spencer Furman, 5-7, 1-2 at No. 6.
Earlier in doubles, Baylor took the point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3. At No. 1, the No. 12 pair of Lah and Constantin Frantzen downed No. 8 Spizzirri and Woldeab for the first time in their four meetings this year, 6-2. The first four games stayed on serve, but Baylor closed on a 4-0 run. The match-up at No. 3 was the second time Braswell and senior Payton Holden faced Broom and Finn Bass. The Longhorns won the last meeting, but Baylor took it this time, 6-4, to clinch the point. The match stayed on serve up to 3-3, but the Bears picked up a break on deuce point for the lead and then held for 5-3. Texas got one game back on serve before Baylor closed with a hold. The remaining match at No. 2 with No. 78 Harper and Huang facing No. 67 Soto and Stachowiak was even at 4-4 when play stopped with each team picking up one break.
The Longhorns (20-5) will now have a week off before getting ready to host an NCAA Tournament Regional from May 7-9 at the Texas Tennis Center.
#3 Baylor 4, #2 Texas 0
Singles – Order of Finish (2,5,1)
1. #41 Adrian Boitan (BU) def. #21 Eliot Spizzirri (UT) 6-4, 6-4
2. #8 Matias Soto (BU) def. #39 Micah Braswell (UT) 6-1, 6-3
3. Nick Stachowiak (BU) vs. #85 Siem Woldeab (UT) 4-6, 6-3, 0-1, unf.
4. Sven Lah (BU) vs. #109 Cleeve Harper (UT) 6-4, 3-6, 0-0, unf.
5. Charlie Broom (BU) def. Chih Chi Huang (UT) 6-3, 6-2
6. Spencer Furman (BU) vs. Nevin Arimilli (UT) 7-5, 2-1, unf.
Doubles – Order of Finish (1,3)
1. #12 Constantin Frantzen/Sven Lah (BU) def. #8 Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (UT) 6-2
2. #67 Matias Soto/Nick Stachowiak (BU) vs. #78 Cleeve Harper/Chih Chi Huang (UT) 4-4, unf.
3. Finn Bass/Charlie Broom (BU) def. Micah Braswell/Payton Holden (UT) 6-4
Players Mentioned
