The only thing that can slowdown junior tennis player Boris Arias is rain.
Arias is 6-0 in singles matches this spring. The only match he failed to win was called off due to rain against Wisconsin. Since dropping the first set to Nicholls State’s Bernard Wezeman on the opening day of the season, he has not lost a set.
“I’m pretty excited about this. It wasn’t like this my freshman year and sophomore year,” Arias said. “Always winning gives you confidence, and I feel very confident for the upcoming matches.”
That confidence has been on full display the entire season. Arias’ streak of 35 consecutive games won ended in the second set of Saturday’s second match against Jackson State.
LSU coach Jeff Brown attributes the successful start to an increase in Arias’ overall focus.
Senior Chris Simpson also noticed Arias is more locked in this year than in seasons past.
“His mind used to wander a little bit in practice, but now he knows what to do,” Simpson said. “He’s got a couple seasons underneath his belt, and he knows what’s happening this season.”
Brown said Arias maintained periods of dominant play in the past, but a lack of focus sometimes prevented him from sustaining it.
“He actually has played at that level at different times, but sometimes he would take a set off,” Brown said. “After he played a set like that, then he would kind of go out into walking around a little bit and then all of a sudden he’d drop a set.”
Arias has changed his mindset now. He said he knows he needs to be focused during every point of every game in order to help his team.
Part of Arias’ dominance has been evident in his ability to jump out to early leads, leaving opponents unable to overcome.
By refusing opponents any hope at the beginning of a match, Arias doesn’t offer his foes many footholds to get back in a match, something which has been clear in four consecutive straight-set victories in singles play.
Brown said Arias has not only improved in his mental game, but his overall game as well.
“I think everything has gotten better,” Brown said. “He’s consistently working on a few things.”
He said several of Arias’ strokes have picked up pace, as well as his understanding of how to use his strokes to hurt opponents.
The fast start has heightened Arias’ ambitions.
“In the past years I don’t think I thought about my personal goals,” Arias said. “But now, because of this, maybe my goal is to not lose a single match this season,”
You can reach Jack Woods on Twitter @Jack_TDR.