Mississippi State
UNC Wilmington
No. 31 MSU Takes Down No. 72 UNC Wilmington, 4-3, In 2016 Home Opener
January 30, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, the 31st-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (1-2) earned a 4-3 victory against No. 72 UNC Wilmington (2-3) to open the 2016 home slate.
“Niclas, Nuno and Rishab played excellent today and took care of business,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We had a few mental lapses in a couple of other spots, but that comes with being young and not used to playing complete matches in juniors.”
The freshman tandem of Nuno Borges and Niclas Braun began the afternoon taking their doubles match with ease, 6-2, against UNCW's Christiaan Van der Burgh and Aviv Ben Shabat to give the Bulldogs the early edge. The pair improved their dual-match record to 2-1 on the season.
“I love playing with Nuno,” Braun said about his partner. “He does things that I can't do well and I do things that he can't do well, so I think we complement each other well on the court.”
UNCW fought back following Borges and Braun's win, forcing a tiebreaker in the remaining two doubles matches. In the No. 3 spot, freshmen Trevor Foshey and Luka Sucevic secured the doubles point for State, as they overcame UNCW's Santtu Leskinen and Agustin Savarino. 7-6(5). Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter's match with Javier Restrepo and Xander Veys on court one was suspended following the clinch.
Braun and Borges kept their hot streak going, as the pair each won in straight sets in singles action to give MSU a 3-0 lead. At the No. 4 spot, Braun defeated Veys 6-0, 6-2, while Borges took his match on court three against Restrepo 6-1, 6-4. For Braun, the win was his first singles dual-match victory as a Bulldog.
“I felt pretty good about my play today,” Braun said following the match. “The crowd was awesome and I was really impressed with how many people came out here to support us. The team did a great job and I am very happy we won today.”
With MSU up 3-0, freshman Sucevic dropped a three-set match to UNCW's Shabat, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 at the No. 6 position to give the Seahawks their first point of the afternoon.
However, it wouldn't be long before junior Rishab Agarwal would step up and clinch the match after an impressive straight-sets win on court two. Agarwal defeated Van der Burgh, 6-4, 6-4 for the Bulldog's final point of the afternoon.
UNCW's Savarino and Leskinen earned wins for the Seahawks in the final two matches after beating MSU's Strahinja Rakic and Cutura. Rakic fell 6-2, 7-6(5) on court five, while at the no. 1 position, Cutura pushed his match to three sets before falling to Leskinen, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
The Bulldogs will be back at A.J. Pitts tomorrow, with a Sunday doubleheader at 11 a.m. CT and 5 p.m., against George Washington and Alcorn State.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Mississippi State 4, UNC-Wilmington 3
January 30, 2015 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) vs. Javier Restrepo/Xander Veys (UNCW) 6(3)-6(3) susp.
2. Nuno Borges/Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Christiaan Van der Burgh/Aviv Shabat (UNCW) 6-2
3. Trevor Foshey/Luka Sucevic (MSU) def. Santtu Leskinen/Agustin Savarino (UNCW) 7-6(5)
Singles
1. Santtu Leskinen (UNCW) def, Mate Cutura (MSU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
2. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Christiaan Van der Burgh (UNCW) 6-4, 6-4
3. Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Javier Restrepo (UNCW) 6-1, 6-4
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Xander Veys (UNCW) 6-0, 6-2
5. Agustin Savarino (UNCW) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2, 7-6(5)
6. Aviv Ben Shabat (UNCW) def. Luka Sucevic (MSU) 6-1, 2-6, 6-2
Order of finish… Doubles (2,3)… Singles (4,3,6,2,5,1)
