Mississippi State
George Washington
No. 31 MSU Sweeps Sunday Doubleheader With Pair Of Shutout Wins
February 01, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – In an impressive display of tennis on Sunday, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (3-2) swept two foes at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre to cap off an undefeated weekend.
In the first leg of Sunday's doubleheader the Bulldogs defeated George Washington University (1-2), 4-0, before blanking in-state foe Alcorn State (0-3), 7-0.
“It was a great weekend and today was a good day to improve on some areas from yesterday,” head coach Matt Roberts said. “We had a 4-0 win this morning and our guys took care of business this afternoon. The young guys are learning quickly and they're very coachable.”
Before Sunday's doubleheader victories, the Maroon and White defeated No. 72 UNC Wilmington (2-3) on Saturday, 4-3.
“These are the type of wins we need right now against solid teams,” Roberts said. “The matches allow us to work on some things in a competitive environment, so we can build on it going further into the season.”
The Bulldogs began the day by winning in doubles once again, as the tandem of Rishab Agarwal and Luka Sucevic, along with the freshmen team of Nuno Borges and Niclas Braun won against GWU duos. Agarwal and Sucevic captured a 6-2 victory against Chris Reynolds and Cahit Kapukiran, while Borges and Braun downed Christos Hadjigeorgiou and Chris Fletcher, 6-4. Mate Cutura and Trevor Foshey's match was suspended due to the clinch.
In singles action, junior Agarwal continued his steady play to defeat GWU's Hadjigeorgiou, 6-1, 6-1, for the Bulldogs' second point of the match. Freshman Strahinja Rakic followed Agarwal's performance by taking care of Chris Reynolds, 6-1, 6-2 to extend MSU's lead to 3-0. Braun would grind out the match-clinching point in a second-set tiebreaker, defeating Chris Fletcher to the tune of 6-1, 7-6(3).
Cutura and freshman Lucas Sanchez had their matches suspended following the clinch.
In the afternoon cap of Sunday's doubleheader, State cruised to a 7-0 win against Alcorn State. Much like the previous two matches at A.J. Pitts this weekend, the Bulldogs began the day by claiming the doubles point. The duos of Borges and Braun, along with Agarwal and Sucevic, each claimed 6-1 wins against ASU opponents.
“For our teams to be in control on all three courts, with different pairings, was really good for our confidence,” Roberts said after his team's performance in doubles this weekend. “The guys are improving in doubles very quickly and we are learning fast.”
The Bulldogs would claim all six singles matches in straight sets, as the Braves were no match for the Maroon and White barrage on the courts. Agarwal (6-3, 6-2), Braun (6-0, 6-2), Rakic (6-0, 6-2), Sanchez (6-1, 6-2) and Sucevic (6-0, 6-1) would all have straight-set wins, while Borges' opponent retired due to injury after falling behind 2-0 in the opening frame.
One highlight on the weekend was freshman Braun who won three doubles and three singles matches, earning the praise of Coach Roberts.
“Niclas Braun is our rock right now,” Roberts said. “He steps up everyday and competes so well. He just wants to compete for every point and that spreads throughout the team.”
The Bulldogs return to A.J. Pitts on Saturday, Feb. 6 for another home doubleheader as MSU hosts Samford and Alabama State at 11 a.m. CT and 5 p.m.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Mississippi State 4, George Washington 0
January 31, 2016 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. Mate Cutura/Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs Julius Tverijonas/Danil Zelenkov (GW) 3-5 (susp.)
2. Nuno Borges/Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Christos Hadjigeorgiou/Chris Fletcher (GW) 6-4
3. Rishab Agarwal/Luka Sucevic (MSU) def. Chris Reynolds/Cahit Kapukiran (GW) 6-2
Singles
1. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. Julius Tverijonas (GW) 7-6(6), 2-4 (susp.)
2. Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. Danil Zelenkov (GW) 6(0)-7, 6-3, 1-1
3. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Christos Hadjigeorgiou (GW) 6-1, 6-1
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Chris Fletcher (GW) 6-1, 7-6(3)
5. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Chris Reynolds (GW) 6-1, 6-2
6. Lucas Sanchez (MSU) vs. Cahit Kapukiran (GW) 5-7, 6-2 (susp.)
Order of finish…Doubles (3,2)… Singles (3,5,4)
Mississippi State 7, Alcorn State 0
January 31, 2016 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. Mate Cutura/Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. Nikita Kistikov/Nischay Rawal (ASU) 4-2 (susp.)
2. Nuno Borges/Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Nuno Rocha/Vasudev Vijayaraman (ASU) 6-1
3. Rishab Agarwal/Luka Sucevic (MSU) def. Kilian Salgado/Javon Yarbarough (ASU) 6-1
Singles
1. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. Nikita Kistikov (ASU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Nischay Rawal (ASU) 2-0 (ret./inj.)
3. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Vasudev Vijayaraman (ASU) 6-0, 6-2
4. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Nuno Rocha (ASU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Lucas Sanchez (MSU) def. Kilian Salgado (ASU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Luka Sucevic (MSU) def. Javon Yarbarough (ASU) 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish… Doubles (2,3)… Singles (2,6,4,3,1,5)
