The No. 40 Stanford men’s tennis team returns to action today against No. 4 Baylor in the second annual HP Cup. The Cardinal is coming off two straight 7-0 victories last week and looks to continue rolling.

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The Cardinal will face the Baylor Bears today at the Taube Tennis Center in a budding rivalry between the two teams. Baylor beat Stanford earlier this year, so the Cardinal hopes to seek revenge. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8540
Jaclyn Tandler

The Cardinal will face the Baylor Bears today at the Taube Tennis Center in a budding rivalry between the two teams. Baylor beat Stanford earlier this year, so the Cardinal hopes to seek revenge.

Baylor is 6-0 this season and has defeated three ranked teams — last time out the Bears beat No. 13 Florida, 5-2. They are led by 10th-ranked Denes Lukacs, who is 26-5 this year in singles play and 9-5 in doubles. David Galic is ranked No. 80 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, and is undefeated in doubles play this season with partner Jordan Rux. Baylor’s No. 1 player, Lars Poerschke, is 9-1 overall this year in singles. Four players for Baylor are undefeated in dual matches this year.

Freshman Alex Clayton, ranked No. 2 in the nation, leads the Cardinal with a 15-3 record. Clayton is 6-1 in dual matches. In doubles, sophomore Richard Wire and freshman Greg Hirshman lead the team with an 8-3 record, including a 4-1 record in dual matches.

“[Wire] complements my game very well, as he has a lot of power and spin, and I have a lot of feel and control,” said Hirshman. “Our key to success has been our ability to work together and win the big points. It also adds to our team that he is left handed and I am right handed, so we automatically get spin and shot variation that not many teams get.”

The Cardinal has actually seen much of the Bears’ squad this season. In the Sherwood Cup in January, Stanford played a number of matches against Baylor opponents in both singles and doubles. Baylor had a singles record of 8-2 against Stanford that weekend. In doubles, Stanford’s Ted Kelly and Blake Muller lost in the finals of the tournament to the combo of Lukacs and Atilla Bucko. Needless to say, the Cardinal knows the Bears well and is eager to turn the tables.

“This is another great rivalry we have,” said head coach John Whitlinger. “They are a very solid team top to bottom. Their coach has done a great job with their team.”

Today’s home match will be crucial for Stanford, who is an even 2-2 at Taube this season. The players are comfortable on their own court, and it is especially favorable for less-experienced freshmen like Clayton.

“Playing at home is great,” he said. “It is fun and it has helped us play some good tennis. We have a great shot against Baylor playing at home.”

As if the Cardinal needed further motivation, Stanford has never beaten Baylor in a dual match — the team is 0-7 against the Bears all time. The most prominent, recent defeat was a hard 4-3 loss in the 2006 NCAA Quarterfinals, where a furious comeback by the Bears sent Stanford packing. It was one of the longest and tightest matches the NCAA tournament has ever seen.

“It will be a real test for us,” said Whitlinger. “It will be a tough match, no question. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

Play begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Taube Family Tennis Center.