Mississippi State
Kentucky
No. 44 MSU Men?s Tennis Blanks No. 12 Kentucky 5-0
March 12, 2016 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Rain couldn't hold back the 44th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (10-3, 2-1) on Saturday, as the Bulldogs shutout the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (10-3, 2-1) in dominating fashion, 5-0, at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The win against No. 12 UK was the highest ranked team MSU has shutout since 1997, when the third-ranked Bulldogs downed No. 9 Kansas 7-0 at the ITA National Indoor Championships. The victory was also the first shutout win against Kentucky for the Bulldogs in the modern era (since 1969).
“The guys are hungry and we need these ranked wins, “ head coach Matt Roberts said following the win. “The guys trust each other and they're seeing that all of their hard work is paying off on the court. It's a gradual process for us, because we have a lot of young guys and they have to understand what college tennis is all about.”
MSU is 3-1 in its last four ranked matches, after downing No. 12 UK, No. 73 South Carolina and No. 27 Tulane. State is a perfect 8-0 at Pitts this season after Saturday's win.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats squared off on MSU's home court following a washout on Friday night that forced the match to 10:30 a.m., on Saturday. The morning began with State taking the doubles point with ease, after the Bulldogs picked up two quick wins on courts one and two.
“We know our doubles have the potential to beat a lot of good teams,” Roberts said. “We've been working a lot on our doubles play lately and they're visualizing on winning the point, which has paid off.”
The freshman tandem of Nuno Borges and Niclas Braun coasted to a 6-1 win at the top spot against UK's William Bushamuka and Nils Ellefsen to kickoff doubles, earning their eighth dual-match win of the season. The duo of Mate Cutura and Trevor Foshey clinched for State immediately following, after downing Wildcats Ryotaro Matsumura and Enzo Wallart, 6-2, court two. Rishab Agarwal and Vaughn Hunter's match was suspended after leading 5-4.
MSU rode momentum into singles play, taking five of the first six sets from the Wildcats. Agarwal was the first to the clubhouse on Saturday after the 77th-ranked junior defeated UK's 108th-ranked Ryotaro Matsumura, 6-4, 6-2 on court two. For Agarwal, the ranked win was his second of the year.
Freshman Strahinja Rakic was next to wrap up a singles win, after knocking off UK's Trey Yates, 6-1, 7-5 at the fifth position to put the Bulldogs up 3-0. Rakic's win improved the freshman's dual-match record to 8-4 this season.
Fellow freshman Braun clinched the win for MSU soon after Rakic's decision, as the Berlin native turned in a convincing 6-3, 6-4 win against Enzo Wallart at the fourth spot. Braun's victory extended his win streak to a team best nine matches. Borges closed out the day for MSU on court three after earning a straight-sets win against Nils Ellefsen, 7-6(4), 7-6(1).
Both Cutura and Foshey were in control on courts one and six, before each match was suspended due to rain. Cutura was one point away from upsetting No. 23 Bushamuka, after the junior was leading 6-2, 4-6, 5-3.
“We're happy about today's win, but we know we have a lot of work ahead of us, “Roberts said. “We are still hungry and we're going to take it one match at a time. Tennessee is a great team and they're always good in doubles, so we know we have to bring it tomorrow.”
MSU faces its fifth-consecutive ranked opponent on Sunday, as the Bulldogs host No. 72 Tennessee (6-6, 0-2) at 1 p.m. CT at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 44 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Kentucky
March 12, 2016 – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. Nuno Borges/Niclas Braun (MSU) def. William Bushamuka/Nils Ellefsen (UK) 6-1
2. Mate Cutura/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Ryotaro Matsumura/Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-2
3. Rishab Agarwal/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) vs. Gus Benson/Kevin Lai (UK) 5-4 susp.
Singles
1. #36 Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. #23 William Bushamuka (UK) 6-2, 4-6, 5-3, susp.
2. No. 77 Rishab Agarwal (MSU) def. #108 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) 6-4, 6-2
3. Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Nils Ellefsen (UK) 7-6(4), 7-6(1)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-3, 6-4
5. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) Trey Yates (UK) 6-1, 7-5
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. Austin Hussey (UK) 2-6, 6-1, 5-4, susp.
Order of finish…Doubles…1,2 Singles… 2, 5, 4, 3
