Roberts Announces Addition Of Four Men?s Tennis Bulldogs
August 19, 2015 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Year two of the Matt Roberts era for the Mississippi State men's tennis Bulldogs is drawing near and with that comes Roberts' 2015-16 signing class, which features a wide range of talent from across the world. Roberts' announced the addition of four tennis stars to the Bulldog family on Wednesday.
From the United States to South Africa, Roberts' second signing class as head coach of the Bulldogs features some of the world's top talent, while also showcasing MSU's continued ability to draw in some of nation's top junior college players.
“We could not be happier with the level of character and commitment that this group of guys brings to the table in terms of continuing the strong Bulldog tradition we have here,” Roberts said. “We are supremely confident, not only in their ability as tennis players, but also in their representation of our fine university."
Niclas Braun; Right Handed; 5-10; Berlin, Germany
Hailing from Berlin, Germany, Niclas Braun comes to the Bulldogs as a top 150 player in Germany's Men's Rankings. The right-handed junior continues MSU's German pipeline, joining former Bulldogs Tassilo Schmid, the 2015 ITA Southern Region Most Improved Player, and All-SEC standout Malte Stropp as top German talent to don the Maroon and White.
Braun comes to Starkville with a 1320 ATP Ranking and finished up an impressive summer overseas, highlighted by a quarterfinals showing at the Slovakia F2 Futures in Slovenska Lupca. Braun finished out the 2014 season with an ATP Ranking of 1714, making a 394-spot jump to his present-day standing.
For his young career, Braun has picked up four singles wins in main draw play of the ITF Pro Circuit. Most recently, Braun reached the round of 16 at the Slovakia F3 Futures in Piestany.
Roberts on Braun: “We have had our eye on Niclas for the last two years and are so excited to finally have him here. Niclas is very strong mentally and will make you play a million balls to beat him. After an impressive summer playing professional futures events, he will be able to come in and have immediate success in the fall.”
Trevor Foshey; Right Handed; 6-1; St. Cloud, Fla. (St. Cloud HS)
One of the top juniors in the United States, Trevor Foshey comes to Mississippi State by way of St. Cloud, Fla. The right hander is the 38th-ranked member and four-star recruit of the 2015 class on TennisRecruiting.net, while also being ranked in the top five amongst Boys 18's in Florida. His TennisRPI, calculated by TennisRecruiting.net, currently stands at No. 23, jumping up 57 spots since 2012.
On the high school level, Foshey saw tremendous success in 2011 and 2012, capturing the district championship for St. Cloud High School both years.
Foshey kept his success on the court rolling over the summer, capturing a singles title in the ITA Summer Circuit. Foshey picked up six-straight singles wins to capture the Charlotte Open Singles Championship, including defeating three of the top 10 seeds in the region.
The incoming Bulldog's success wasn't limited to singles, as he and teammate Logan Walker downed four-straight foes at the Charlotte Open, including the region's fifth-seeded team, to reach the doubles title match.
Roberts on Foshey: “After being a top-40 American, Trevor has so much room to grow as a player. He is very athletic and is an all-court player that will develop very quickly here. He also brings a lot of good character to the group and will be a guy we can trust when we are not around.”
Vaughn Hunter; Left Handed; 5-11; Johannesburg, South Africa (Tyler [TX] JC)
A left hander from Johannesburg, South Africa, Vaughn Hunter comes to Mississippi State via Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. Hunter is another in a line of successful TJC Apaches to come to the Maroon and White. Schmid, and current All-SEC Bulldog Mate Cutura both came to State after two successful years at Tyler JC.
Hunter saw tremendous success as an Apache, reaching as high as No. 3 in singles and No. 1 in doubles in the ITA Junior/Community College Men's Rankings.
In 2014-15, Hunter finished the season with a 15-1 at the top spot in the TJC singles lineup and 16-1 at the No. 1 position in the Apaches' doubles order.
As a junior, Hunter was 20-7 in singles play, reaching a career-high ITF ranking of No. 371.
Roberts on Hunter: “We are very fortunate to have Vaughn join us as he was one of the top junior college players and was recruited by many universities. He is a very tricky left-handed player and is one of the most athletic and quick players on the team. With his two years in junior college, Vaughn will be able to come in and show right away he can execute under pressure and handle the big moments you see in collegiate tennis.”
Lucas Sanchez; Right Handed; 6-2; Jundiai, Brazil
One of Brazil's top prospects, Lucas Sanchez brings a world of emotion and passion for the game of tennis to the Maroon and White. The right hander from Jundiai, Brazil, reached as high as No. 632 in the ITF Rankings.
Sanchez's highlight of his juniors career came in March 2014 at the prestigious Grade A Campeonato Internacional Juvenil de Tenis de Porto Alegre in his home country of Brazil. There he downed two foes to advance out of qualifying play and into the 64-player main draw. From there, Sanchez defeated Argentina's Lucas de Torres Curth, a top-300 ITF player, to advance to the second round of play.
The year prior, Sanchez made impressive runs at two tournaments, posting a quarterfinal showing at the 5A Copa Santa Catarina Internacional and a round of 16 finish at the Bahia Juniors Cup. Sanchez also earned a semifinals showing in doubles play.
Roberts on Sanchez: “Lucas is all emotion and passion when he competes. He uses his intensity and fight to instill dominance into his opponent's mind. We are very excited to have him here at MSU to push the guys each day with his high energy and physicality.”
For more information and updates on Mississippi State men's tennis, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateMT.
