Texas tennis: Pierre-Yves Bailly, No. 4 UT out to ace final home matches of regular season

After almost four years in Austin, Texas Longhorns men’s tennis player Pierre-Yves Bailly feels right at home.

The Belgium native welcomes the heat, especially because one of the most well-conditioned players on the team can use it as an ally while wearing down opponents. He embraces the campus traditions, proudly throwing up the horns at other sporting events on campus while caroling along with “The Eyes of Texas.”

Heck, he may now even like chips and queso more than moules-frites.

But there’s nothing Bailly appreciates more than the camaraderie he found with the Texas tennis program.  

“Just coming here by myself and having all my family that far away was the biggest change for me,” said Bailly, who’s fluent in French, Flemish and English. “But to be honest, getting into this environment with 10 (teammates) who all became your best friends and stuff, it’s like you feel surrounded by people who want to welcome you in the best way possible. So, you kind of feel at home. It’s now like a second home to me.”

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In one way, Bailly begins what he hopes is a long goodbye to Texas this weekend, when the Longhorns host Kentucky on Friday and South Carolina on Sunday. They’re the final two home matches of the regular season for Texas, and Bailly will be the only player celebrating senior day Sunday on a spry squad chock-full of young talent.

Not that Bailly or his teammates expect the season to end anytime soon. The Longhorns (17-3, 8-0 SEC) are No. 4 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association national poll, and they’ll likely serve as hosts of at least one weekend when the NCAA Tournament begins May 2.

And if the team gets fully healthy, the Longhorns may just have the firepower to repeat last year’s run to the championship match, which they lost to old foe TCU.

“We had a great culture (last) year, and I think we can make it through this year,” Bailly said. “I think the culture is still there, especially with a couple of the young guys who are adapting well and really getting to know how college tennis works. Because we’re such a close group of guys, I think that can always be to our advantage. So, yeah, I’m definitely as confident in this team as I was before.”

That confidence starts with Bailly, says Texas coach Bruce Berque. He may not shine as the team’s star from the No. 3 line — that bright light belongs to gifted Parisian Timo Legout, the No. 3 singles player in the nation — but serves as a calming presence in the heart of the Longhorns’ lineup.

“This year, he’s been very consistent, not only match to match, but within a match emotionally,” said Berque, in his sixth season as UT’s head coach. “He’s not riding the up-and-down roller coaster of the score. And he’s also developed into a pretty good leader this year.”

Bailly admits that wasn’t always the case. He has long played with a certain passion and intensity, but he couldn’t always keep the frustrations of one point from flowing into the next. Now, the three-time All-Big 12 player in both singles and doubles action says he can better channel his emotions. And he has to, considering his status as the squad’s lone senior.

“I think the biggest factor is that I have a different role now on a team,” Bailly said. “I’m one of the leaders of a team now; I was always one of the youngest of the team, and now I’m one of the oldest. I have to set the best example for the team, and that has definitely helped me to have a better version of myself when I’m on the court. It’s helped me develop myself as a person and as a tennis player.”

This weekend’s matches

No. 4 Texas vs. Kentucky, 6 p.m. Friday; No. 4 Texas vs. No. 18 South Carolina, 1 p.m. Sunday; Texas Tennis Center, 2100 Comal St.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas tennis: Pierre-Yves Bailly, UT hope to ace weekend home matches