Friday, February 24
Starkville
3:00 PM
Mississippi State
4
vs
1
Tulane
Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic each earned a ranked singles win in the 4-1 victory.
Bulldogs Sail Past No. 22 Green Wave 4-1
February 24, 2017 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – On a beautiful Friday afternoon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, the 20th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (6-3) downed 22-ranked Tulane (7-2) as the Bulldogs earned a 4-1 win to kickoff their home-opening weekend.
State has now defeated back-to-back ranked opponents as the Bulldogs pushed their home-opening match win streak to 14-straight. MSU continues its homestand against North Carolina State (7-4) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
"It feels good to get back outdoors and earn a big win in front of our home crowd," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Tulane is a tough opponent and our guys came to play today. They saw an opportunity to get better and took advantage of it."
Out of the gate the Bulldogs looked ready to play as the sophomore duo of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic hammered Tulane's Sebastian Rey and Luis Erlenbusch, 6-0, for the first result of the afternoon.
"Nuno and Strale stepped up for us big time today," Roberts said. "They've worked hard in practice all week and it showed. The win for them is good because it will be a great confidence booster for those two going forward in doubles play."
After the win on court three, the focus shifted to court one as No. 26 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey were locked in a battle with Constantin Schmitz and Chi-Shan Jao. The Bulldog pair powered past the Green Wave tandem, 6-4, as the duo clinched the doubles point for the Maroon and White. The match on court two was suspended with Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter holding a 5-4 advantage.
In singles play, Rakic didn't waste anytime as he followed up his 6-0 outing in doubles action with a straight-set, 6-2, 6-0, win against No. 110 Sebastian Rey. The ranked singles win for Rakic is his second as a Bulldog.
"That win for Strale was huge," Roberts said about the sophomore's quick win. "To see him win the way he did against a ranked opponent really gave our team momentum and confidence for the rest of the match."
Tulane wouldn't go away so easily however, as the Green Wave earned its first point of the day via a singles win on court six against Trevor Foshey, 6-0, 6-2. The Bulldog lead would be trimmed at 2-1 with MSU holding an advantage in four of the five remaining matches. The next result would come at court one after No. 4 Borges defeated No. 37 Schmitz, 6-4, 6-2, to stretch the lead to 3-1 in favor of the Bulldogs.
"I'm proud of Nuno because he again controlled his emotions and used his passion as fuel to earn the win," Roberts said. "He took care of business against another ranked opponent and showed why he's one of the best players in the nation."
The ranked victory for Borges was his 10th of the season and 15th of his career. The win also extended the sophomore's career undefeated record at the No. 1 spot to 8-0, while improving his overall record in singles play this season to 18-3.
Leading 3-1, the Bulldogs would stamp an exclamation point on the home opener as Braun clinched the victory on court five, 6-2, 6-4, to give No. 20 MSU the 4-1 win over No. 22 Tulane. The win for Braun was his sixth singles victory of the season.
"Nic stepped up for us today in doubles and singles play and earned two solid wins," Roberts said. "He used his forehand well and his serve was really on today. It's great to see him playing well for us and improving."
Freshman Giovanni Oradini and Cutura had their matches suspended after the 4-1 win,
Up Next
The Bulldogs continue their homestand against No. 38 North Carolina State (7-4) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT as MSU looks to win its third-straight ranked match.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 20 Mississippi State 4, No. 22 Tulane 1
Starkville, Miss. – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Feb. 24, 2017
Doubles
1. No. 26 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Constantin Schmitz/Chi-Shan Jao (TU) 6-4
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) vs. Ewan Moore/Tyler Schick (TU) 5-4, suspended
3. Nuno Borges/Strahnja Rakic (MSU) def. Sebastian Rey/Luis Erlenbusch (TU) 6-0
Order of finish: 3,1
Singles
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. No. 37 Constantin Schmitz (TU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. Ewan Moore (TU) 5-7, 3-0, suspended
3. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. No. 110 Sebastian Rey (TU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) vs. Tyler Schick (TU) 6-1, 5-7, 0-1, suspended
5. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Luis Erlenbusch (TU) 6-2, 6-4*
6. Chi-Shan Jao (TU) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3,6,1,5
* - Match-clinching win
State has now defeated back-to-back ranked opponents as the Bulldogs pushed their home-opening match win streak to 14-straight. MSU continues its homestand against North Carolina State (7-4) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
"It feels good to get back outdoors and earn a big win in front of our home crowd," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Tulane is a tough opponent and our guys came to play today. They saw an opportunity to get better and took advantage of it."
Out of the gate the Bulldogs looked ready to play as the sophomore duo of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic hammered Tulane's Sebastian Rey and Luis Erlenbusch, 6-0, for the first result of the afternoon.
"Nuno and Strale stepped up for us big time today," Roberts said. "They've worked hard in practice all week and it showed. The win for them is good because it will be a great confidence booster for those two going forward in doubles play."
After the win on court three, the focus shifted to court one as No. 26 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey were locked in a battle with Constantin Schmitz and Chi-Shan Jao. The Bulldog pair powered past the Green Wave tandem, 6-4, as the duo clinched the doubles point for the Maroon and White. The match on court two was suspended with Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter holding a 5-4 advantage.
In singles play, Rakic didn't waste anytime as he followed up his 6-0 outing in doubles action with a straight-set, 6-2, 6-0, win against No. 110 Sebastian Rey. The ranked singles win for Rakic is his second as a Bulldog.
"That win for Strale was huge," Roberts said about the sophomore's quick win. "To see him win the way he did against a ranked opponent really gave our team momentum and confidence for the rest of the match."
Tulane wouldn't go away so easily however, as the Green Wave earned its first point of the day via a singles win on court six against Trevor Foshey, 6-0, 6-2. The Bulldog lead would be trimmed at 2-1 with MSU holding an advantage in four of the five remaining matches. The next result would come at court one after No. 4 Borges defeated No. 37 Schmitz, 6-4, 6-2, to stretch the lead to 3-1 in favor of the Bulldogs.
"I'm proud of Nuno because he again controlled his emotions and used his passion as fuel to earn the win," Roberts said. "He took care of business against another ranked opponent and showed why he's one of the best players in the nation."
The ranked victory for Borges was his 10th of the season and 15th of his career. The win also extended the sophomore's career undefeated record at the No. 1 spot to 8-0, while improving his overall record in singles play this season to 18-3.
Leading 3-1, the Bulldogs would stamp an exclamation point on the home opener as Braun clinched the victory on court five, 6-2, 6-4, to give No. 20 MSU the 4-1 win over No. 22 Tulane. The win for Braun was his sixth singles victory of the season.
"Nic stepped up for us today in doubles and singles play and earned two solid wins," Roberts said. "He used his forehand well and his serve was really on today. It's great to see him playing well for us and improving."
Freshman Giovanni Oradini and Cutura had their matches suspended after the 4-1 win,
Up Next
The Bulldogs continue their homestand against No. 38 North Carolina State (7-4) on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT as MSU looks to win its third-straight ranked match.
Additional Notes
- The Bulldogs improved to 12-6 all-time against the Green Wave
- Friday's win is the fourth-straight for MSU versus Tulane
- MSU has won its last 11 non-conference matches at A.J. Pitts
- State is now 15-1 under head coach Matt Roberts in non-conference matches at home
- Roberts earned his 26th ranked win at MSU on Friday
- No. 4 Nuno Borges is now a perfect 6-0 in dual-match singles play
- No. 26 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey improved their record to 13-4 on the year
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 20 Mississippi State 4, No. 22 Tulane 1
Starkville, Miss. – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Feb. 24, 2017
Doubles
1. No. 26 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Constantin Schmitz/Chi-Shan Jao (TU) 6-4
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) vs. Ewan Moore/Tyler Schick (TU) 5-4, suspended
3. Nuno Borges/Strahnja Rakic (MSU) def. Sebastian Rey/Luis Erlenbusch (TU) 6-0
Order of finish: 3,1
Singles
1. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. No. 37 Constantin Schmitz (TU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. Ewan Moore (TU) 5-7, 3-0, suspended
3. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. No. 110 Sebastian Rey (TU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) vs. Tyler Schick (TU) 6-1, 5-7, 0-1, suspended
5. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Luis Erlenbusch (TU) 6-2, 6-4*
6. Chi-Shan Jao (TU) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-0, 6-2
Order of Finish: 3,6,1,5
* - Match-clinching win
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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