By Nate Maki | Sports Writer, the Baylor men's tennis team made a significant impact as they hosted the NCAA singles and doubles championships for the first time since 2015. Sophomore Devin Badenhorst set the tone on Monday by defeating NC State junior Martin Borisiouk 6-4, 7-6 (7) in the first round at the Hurd Tennis Center. Senior Oskar Brostrom Poulsen also had a memorable first round match, highlighted by a between-the-legs shot, but he unfortunately fell to Princeton junior Fnu Nidunjianzan in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Tournament Highlights and Action

The inaugural fall tournament kicked off on Tuesday with 64 men and women competing in the first round of the singles portion. On Wednesday, 32 men's and women's doubles teams will take the court along with the second round of the tournament. Both Badenhorst and Brostrom Poulsen will be back in action, with Badenhorst playing in the second round of singles matches and starting doubles play, while Brostrom Poulsen will focus on doubles.In Brostrom Poulsen's match, he dropped the first set 6-3 and faced a tough battle throughout. However, he found his rhythm and took the lead at 3-2 in the second set. His teammates, including senior doubles partner Marko Miladinovic and head coach Michael Woodson, provided great support with their cheers."It was one of the best shots I've ever seen," head coach Michael Woodson said. "I actually don't allow them to hit that kind of shot in practice, but it doesn't surprise me that Oskar pulled it off. He's one of the best athletes in college tennis."Despite a comeback and tying the second set at 4-4, Brostrom Poulsen ultimately lost the third set 6-3, allowing Nidunjianzan to advance to the second round.Meanwhile, on court one, Badenhorst was in a close battle. He took a 4-2 lead in the first set with well-placed serves. Borisiouk kept him on his toes, trimming Badenhorst's lead to 5-4 before the Bear closed out the set 6-4.In the second set, Badenhorst fell behind 2-1 after being swept 40-0 in the third game. But he managed to bring it back, crediting his serve game, and took a 4-2 lead. Borisiouk then made a comeback and forced a tiebreaker at 6-6."It's easy to get to five, but it's hard to finish it," Woodson said. "When you start thinking you've won the match, things can get very difficult. I think [Badenhorst] did a very good job of sticking to the rhythm of his serve, and that's how he brought it back."Badenhorst took the lead in the tiebreaker at 5-3 but rallied back and tied the score at 7-7. He then closed it out, taking the next two points and the match.The Bears will be back in action on Wednesday, with Brostrom Poulsen and Miladinovic playing in the doubles draw and Badenhorst moving on to the second round of singles and opening doubles play with junior Zsombor Velcz. Service times will be announced on the NCAA tournament website and Baylor men's and women's tennis twitter.