Mississippi State
Florida State
Bulldogs Fall To No. 31 FSU On Final Day Of ITA Kickoff Weekend
January 24, 2016 | Men's Tennis
TAMPA, Fla. – Junior Rishab Agarwal picked up his first dual-match win of the season, earning a straight-sets victory as No. 29 Mississippi State (0-2) fell 4-1 to No. 31 FSU (1-1) Sunday morning.
Agarwal defeated FSU's 77th-ranked Marco Nunez in straight sets, 7-6(5), 6-4 to record his first dual match victory of 2016.
“I'm impressed with how Rishab came out today and took care of business,” head coach Matt Roberts. “He and Mate showed a lot of heart at the top of the line up today. We all see how close we are to grind these close matches out and are excited to get back to training this week.”
FSU would kick off the day by picking up a doubles win against the duo of Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter, after the Seminole tandem of Benjamin Lock and Marco Nunez won 6-1. The Bulldogs would respond however, after the freshmen duo of Nuno Borges and Niclas Braun upset the No. 55 team of Terrell Whitehurst and Terrance Whitehurst, 6-2 to even the score in doubles competition. The surge would not be enough for the Maroon and White, as Agarwal and Luka Sucevic fell to the FSU pairing of Aziz Dougaz and Michael Rinaldi, 6-4, to give the Seminoles the early 1-0 lead.
In singles action Braun and Hunter fell to Seminole foes in straight sets, as FSU took a 3-0 lead. Braun would lose his match to Dougaz, 6-1, 7-5, while Hunter lost to Terrance Whitehurst, 6-3, 6-1.
After Agarwal's straight-set victory against Nunez in the No. 2 spot, the Bulldogs would close the gap to 3-1. Freshman Rakic would be edged out however, in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to close out the win for the Seminoles, 4-1.
The matches for Cutura (7-5, 0-6, 5-3) and Borges (6-3, 1-6, 4-5) were suspended after the clinch, with both Bulldogs nearing a victory.
After the ITA Kickoff Weekend, the Bulldogs will open the 2016 home slate at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday, Jan. 30, against UNC Wilmington at 1 p.m. The Maroon and White will cap the weekend with a Sunday doubleheader against George Washington and Alcorn State at 11 a.m., and 5 p.m.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 31 Florida State 4, No. 29 Mississippi State 1
January 24, 2016 – USF Varsity Tennis Courts – Tampa, Fla.
Doubles
1. Lock/Nunez (FSU) def. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-1
2. Nuno Borges/Niclas Braun (MSU) def #55 Whitehurst/Whitehurst (FSU) 6-4
3. Dougaz/Rinaldi (FSU) def. Rishab Agarwal/Luka Sucevic (MSU) 6-4
Singles
1. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. #15 Benjamin Lock (FSU) 7-5, 0-6, 5-3, susp.
2. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. #77 Marco Nunez (FSU) 7-6(5), 6-4
3. Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. Michael Rinaldi (FSU) 6-3, 1-6, 4-5, susp.
4. Aziz Dougaz (FSU) def. Niclas Braun (MSU) 6-1, 7-5
5. Terrell Whitehurst (FSU) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 5-7, 3-6, 3-6
6. Terrance Whitehurst (FSU) def. Vaughn Hunter (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish… Doubles (1,2,3)… Singles (4,6,2,5)
