Mississippi State
ITA Southern Region Indoor Championships
MSU Tennis Caps Perfect Day One At USTA/ITA Southern Regionals
October 17, 2014 | Men's Tennis
AUBURN, Ala. – With all seven players in action, the Mississippi State men's tennis Bulldogs capped a perfect day one at the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships in Auburn, Ala., on Thursday.
State went a perfect 8-0 in singles play, while also picking up a pair of victories in doubles play to go an overall 10-0 on the day.
Thursday kicked off with the first round of doubles play, with two of MSU's three squads in action. The Bulldog pair of Mate Cutura and Tassilo Schmid defeated Samford's Austin Akers and Jake Faundez 8-5. State's Rishab Agarwal and Robin Haden followed with a flawless 8-0 win against Jackson State's Richie Agarwal and Miguel-Gomez Martin.
The two squads advance to Friday's second round, joining MSU's team of Julian Cash and Florian Lakat, who received a first-round bye.
In singles, MSU had all but one contestant receive a first-round bye. Haden faced off against Southern Miss' Brad Marriott, picking up a 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1 win. Haden followed it up with a 6-3, 6-1 win against LSU's Jordan Daigle to advance to Friday's third round.
The remainder of State's second round matches saw all six players advance to the third stage of the singles draw. 36th-ranked and second-seeded Lakat dominated from start to finish to pick up a 6-0, 6-0 win against Jacksonville State's Pedro Wagner. Cutura also picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win, downing Samford's Trey Carter, while Schmid was near flawless, picking up a 6-1, 6-0 victory against New Orleans' Giacomo Adoncecchi.
Rounding out the MSU action was Cash, Agarwal and Juan Cruz Estevarena. Cash defeated Auburn's Petar Tomic 6-1, 6-3, while Agarwal grinded out a three-set win against South Alabama's Manuel Belda, 6-0, 6-7(6), 6-3. Estevarena capped the Bulldogs' day with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of UAB's Donovan McSeveney.
The Bulldogs return to action tomorrow, as doubles is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. CT, and singles play beginning at 9:30 a.m.
For more information on Mississippi State men's tennis and updates throughout the 2014 USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateMT.
MSU Results At The USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships
October 16, 2014 – Auburn, Ala.
Singles – Main Draw
First Round – Robin Haden (MSU) def. Brad Marriott (Southern Miss) 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-1
Second Round – No. 36 Florian Lakat (MSU) [2] def. Pedro Wagner (Jacksonville State) 6-0, 6-0; Tassilo Schmid (MSU) def. Giacomo Adoncecchi (New Orleans) 6-1, 6-0; Mate Cutura (MSU) def. Trey Carter (Samford) 6-0, 6-0; Julian Cash (MSU) def. Petar Tomic (Auburn) 6-1, 6-3; Juan Cruz Estevarena (MSU) def. Donovan McSeveney (UAB) 6-4, 6-4; Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Manuel Belda (South Alabama) 6-0, 6-7(6), 6-3; Haden (MSU) def. Jordan Daigle (LSU) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles – Main Draw
First Round – Cutura/Schmid (MSU) def. Austin Akers/Jake Faundez (Samford) 8-5; Agarwal/Haden (MSU) def. Richie Agarwal/Miguel-Gomez Martin (Jackson State) 8-0
