Friday, May 12
Norman, Okla.
10:00 AM
Mississippi State
4
vs
0
SMU
MSU downs third-seeded SMU and moves on to NCAA Championship Second Round.
MSU Moves On To NCAA Second Round After Blanking SMU
May 12, 2017 | Men's Tennis
NORMAN, Okla. – Behind an impressive display of tennis, 18th-ranked Mississippi State (21-8) handled 38th-ranked Southern Methodist (13-12) on Friday as the Bulldogs shutout the Mustangs 4-0 to advance past the opening round of the NCAA Championship.
MSU will face No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, with the victor earning a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Ga., next weekend. The Sooners advanced past Bryant on Friday afternoon after earning a 4-0 win. Soonersports.com will provide live stats for the second round match on Saturday.
"Today was not an easy match," head coach Matt Roberts said. "It's tough to adjust to an opponent who is changing their lineup right before we play. The wind was also another tough factor our guys had to adjust to. SMU competed well and we were fortunate to get the doubles point."
MSU moved to 12-2 in the opening round since the NCAA field expanded to 64 teams in 1999. Friday's win also marked State's first win in program history over SMU with the Bulldogs now 1-3 against the Mustangs.
In doubles action, the Bulldogs jumped ahead to an early advantage after the senior duo of Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter downed Samm Butler and Arky Slobodkins, 6-2 to secure the first result of the afternoon. The Mustangs would strike back with an upset of No. 8 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey soon after as the Bulldog pair fell, 6-3. Court three would be the decider on Friday as the sophomore tandem of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic fought back from a 6-5 deficit to take their match over Julio Olaya and Tony Russell in a tiebreaker, 7-6(3).
"Doubles was a grinder," Roberts said. "SMU is a scrappy team, so we had to fight hard to get that early point. We're playing great doubles right now and we keep improving even this late in the season."
The doubles clinch for Borges and Rakic was their second of the season. The last clinch came against Vanderbilt in the opening match of the SEC Tournament.
The Maroon & White carried the early momentum from doubles action into singles with the Bulldogs taking five of the first six sets against SMU.
Racing out of the gate was freshman Simon Baudry, who took care of SMU's Julio Olaya, 6-2, 6-1. The victory extended Baudry's win streak to five matches as the French product added to his late success in singles action.
With the 2-0 lead, the Bulldogs would receive wins almost simultaneously from Borges and Rakic as the sophomore duo continued their stellar play on Friday. First up, No. 4 Borges dismantled No. 68 Ronald Slobodchikov, 6-3, 6-0, before Rakic would earn the clinch over Markus Kerner, 6-3, 6-2.
"Nuno really broke his guy down and proved why he's one of the best in the country," Roberts said. "As the match went along he found his stride and competed great. Strale again came up clutch and closed out the match, he's playing unreal right now."
The ranked win for Borges was his 22nd of the season as he moved his singles record to 32-6 overall. Rakic earned his 20th singles win of the season, while clinching his fourth match of the year.
"With the wind like it was today, it's really tough to feel good about your game," Roberts said. "Our guys did an excellent job of accepting the conditions and understanding the level of play. We did a great job of getting one more ball than SMU and taking a lot of tough rallies to win the match."
Cutura, Braun and Giovanni Oradini had their matches suspended after MSU closed out the contest.
Up Next
The Maroon & White will face No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT with the winner advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens next weekend.
Live Video/Stats
Live stats can be found here, while no live video stream will be available for this weekend's action.
NCAA First & Second Round Info
For information on past matches, teams, tickets or venue details visit here.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 18 Mississippi State 4, No. 38 SMU 0
NCAA Team Championship – First Round
May 12, 2017 – Norman, Okla. – Headington Family Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Yates Johnson/Markus Kerner (SMU) def. No. 8 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-3
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) def. Samm Butler/Arky Slobodkins (SMU) 6-2
3. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Julio Olaya/Tony Russell (SMU) 7-6(3)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. No. 68 Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. Samm Butler (SMU) 6-4, 1-1, suspended
3. No. 115 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-3, 6-2*
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) vs. Tony Russell (SMU) 7-5, 1-0, suspended
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) vs. Yates Johnson (SMU) 3-6, 4-1, suspended
6. Simon Baudry (MSU) def. Julio Olaya (SMU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 3
* - Match-clinching victory
MSU will face No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, with the victor earning a trip to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens, Ga., next weekend. The Sooners advanced past Bryant on Friday afternoon after earning a 4-0 win. Soonersports.com will provide live stats for the second round match on Saturday.
"Today was not an easy match," head coach Matt Roberts said. "It's tough to adjust to an opponent who is changing their lineup right before we play. The wind was also another tough factor our guys had to adjust to. SMU competed well and we were fortunate to get the doubles point."
MSU moved to 12-2 in the opening round since the NCAA field expanded to 64 teams in 1999. Friday's win also marked State's first win in program history over SMU with the Bulldogs now 1-3 against the Mustangs.
In doubles action, the Bulldogs jumped ahead to an early advantage after the senior duo of Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter downed Samm Butler and Arky Slobodkins, 6-2 to secure the first result of the afternoon. The Mustangs would strike back with an upset of No. 8 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey soon after as the Bulldog pair fell, 6-3. Court three would be the decider on Friday as the sophomore tandem of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic fought back from a 6-5 deficit to take their match over Julio Olaya and Tony Russell in a tiebreaker, 7-6(3).
"Doubles was a grinder," Roberts said. "SMU is a scrappy team, so we had to fight hard to get that early point. We're playing great doubles right now and we keep improving even this late in the season."
The doubles clinch for Borges and Rakic was their second of the season. The last clinch came against Vanderbilt in the opening match of the SEC Tournament.
The Maroon & White carried the early momentum from doubles action into singles with the Bulldogs taking five of the first six sets against SMU.
Racing out of the gate was freshman Simon Baudry, who took care of SMU's Julio Olaya, 6-2, 6-1. The victory extended Baudry's win streak to five matches as the French product added to his late success in singles action.
With the 2-0 lead, the Bulldogs would receive wins almost simultaneously from Borges and Rakic as the sophomore duo continued their stellar play on Friday. First up, No. 4 Borges dismantled No. 68 Ronald Slobodchikov, 6-3, 6-0, before Rakic would earn the clinch over Markus Kerner, 6-3, 6-2.
"Nuno really broke his guy down and proved why he's one of the best in the country," Roberts said. "As the match went along he found his stride and competed great. Strale again came up clutch and closed out the match, he's playing unreal right now."
The ranked win for Borges was his 22nd of the season as he moved his singles record to 32-6 overall. Rakic earned his 20th singles win of the season, while clinching his fourth match of the year.
"With the wind like it was today, it's really tough to feel good about your game," Roberts said. "Our guys did an excellent job of accepting the conditions and understanding the level of play. We did a great job of getting one more ball than SMU and taking a lot of tough rallies to win the match."
Cutura, Braun and Giovanni Oradini had their matches suspended after MSU closed out the contest.
Up Next
The Maroon & White will face No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT with the winner advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 in Athens next weekend.
Live Video/Stats
Live stats can be found here, while no live video stream will be available for this weekend's action.
NCAA First & Second Round Info
For information on past matches, teams, tickets or venue details visit here.
Additional Notes
- MSU is 24-21 all-time in the NCAA Championship
- The Bulldogs are now 18-4 all-time in their first match of the NCAA Championship
- MSU has not lost a first round match since 2001
- State is 1-1 against SMU in NCAA action
- Head coach Matt Roberts is 4-2 all-time in NCAA postseason action
- The 21 wins are the most in program history since 1998
- Nuno Borges is now 3-1 in NCAA action
- Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter are now 3-1 in doubles NCAA matches
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 18 Mississippi State 4, No. 38 SMU 0
NCAA Team Championship – First Round
May 12, 2017 – Norman, Okla. – Headington Family Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Yates Johnson/Markus Kerner (SMU) def. No. 8 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-3
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) def. Samm Butler/Arky Slobodkins (SMU) 6-2
3. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Julio Olaya/Tony Russell (SMU) 7-6(3)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. No. 68 Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) 6-3, 6-0
2. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. Samm Butler (SMU) 6-4, 1-1, suspended
3. No. 115 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-3, 6-2*
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) vs. Tony Russell (SMU) 7-5, 1-0, suspended
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) vs. Yates Johnson (SMU) 3-6, 4-1, suspended
6. Simon Baudry (MSU) def. Julio Olaya (SMU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 1, 3
* - Match-clinching victory
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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