Baylor Men’s Tennis Looks to Bounce Back in Saturday Doubleheader vs. Lamar
WACO, Texas - After a hard-fought season opener against No. 8 San Diego, Baylor men’s tennis is back on the courts this Saturday with something to prove. The 16th-ranked Bears will host Lamar for a doubleheader at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center, with first serves scheduled for noon and 6 p.m.
Baylor (0-1) enters the weekend still searching for its first win of the young season. Their opener against San Diego was closer than the 5-2 final score suggests - a match filled with competitive sets and glimpses of what this talented group is capable of when things click. Now, with two chances to get in the win column, the Bears are looking to reset the tone for 2026.
Lamar (0-2), meanwhile, comes to Waco after a tough start of its own. The Cardinals opened their season with back-to-back 6-1 losses to No. 7 Mississippi State and SMU, and they’ll have their hands full again against a Baylor squad that’s stacked with ranked talent.
And that talent runs deep. Junior Devin Badenhorst leads the way in singles, coming in at No. 8 in the ITA national rankings.
He’s joined by Connor Van Schalkwyk at No. 17, Alexandru Chirita at No. 44, freshman Drew Hedgecoe at No. 95, and Zsombor Velcz at No.
- In doubles, the pairing of Van Schalkwyk and Velcz holds the No. 78 spot - a duo with chemistry and firepower.
Lamar, on the other hand, enters the weekend without any players currently ranked in singles or doubles, which puts the onus on Baylor to take care of business and avoid any letdowns.
History is also on Baylor’s side. The Bears lead the all-time series 14-4 and have won the last 13 meetings.
Their most recent clash came last season, when Baylor opened the year with a 7-0 sweep over the Cardinals. That match saw dominant doubles performances from Badenhorst/Velcz and the team of Louis Bowden and Luc Koenig, both of whom posted 6-1 wins on Courts One and Two.
In singles, Velcz took a tight first set before pulling away on Court One, Bowden rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win on Court Three, and Chirita didn’t drop a beat in a 6-0, 6-1 rout on Court Four. It was a complete team effort - the kind of performance Baylor will be aiming to replicate this weekend.
Saturday’s doubleheader also brings a little something extra for fans. It’s the first opportunity to grab this season’s official team poster, and food trucks will be stationed outside the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center to keep the energy high. Admission is free, and live results and streaming will be available online via Playsight.
For Baylor, this is more than just a chance to notch a win - it’s about setting the tone for the rest of the season. With a roster full of ranked players and a history of dominance in this matchup, the Bears will be looking to make a statement in front of their home crowd.