Sophomore Giovanni Oradini picked up his first SEC Player of the Week honor of the year after going a combined 4-0 this past weekend.
Men's Tennis' Oradini Named SEC Player Of The Week After 4-0 Weekend
March 14, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – For the first time during the 2018 dual match season, a member of the Mississippi State men's tennis team has received Southeastern Conference weekly honors.
Sophomore Giovanni Oradini earned SEC Player of the Week laurels after a stellar weekend on the court that saw the sophomore clinch his team-leading third match of the season. The award marks Oradini's first career SEC Player of the Week award. He was tabbed Freshman of the Week on March 22, 2017.
"I feel truly honored to be named SEC Player of the Week," Oradini said. "I want to thank my coaches and teammates for pushing me on and off the court. Our success this weekend was a team effort and I am glad to be part of this awesome team."
The Rovereto, Italy, standout came through in clutch moments all weekend for the Maroon and White, going 4-0 in singles and doubles to help lead the Bulldogs to a pair of key ranked victories in SEC action over No. 9 Florida and No. 28 South Carolina.
Oradini began the weekend with a thrilling doubles victory alongside Niclas Braun against Florida's 12th-ranked McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale at the No. 2 position. In the win, Braun and Oradini won the final three games to upset the talented Gator duo. The win was the highest-ranked doubles victory for the tandem. The pair is now 2-0 against ranked opponents after defeating Tulane's Erlenbusch/Schick (ranked 50th) on Feb. 23.
He carried that momentum into singles play, downing Florida's highest-ranked player in straight sets. He breezed through the first set, winning by a 6-3 mark. However, UF's sixth-ranked Johannes Ingildsen was not going to go quietly, as Oradini overcame a 3-1 deficit in the second frame to win five of the final six games to win the set and the match to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
His win against Ingildsen was the highest-ranked victory of his career and his 12th against a ranked opponent this season.
Oradini and Braun continued their doubles hot streak two days later, this time against a feisty South Carolina Gamecocks team. The duo picked up their fourth-straight win and moved to a perfect 4-0 in dual matches with a 6-3 ousting of USC's Paul Jubb and Thomas Mayronne to put the Bulldogs a win away from clinching doubles.
When the Bulldogs needed just one point to clinch the match later in the day in singles, Oradini answered the bell. After experiencing multiple weather delays, Oradini reached the 20-win mark for the first time as a Bulldog. The lefty faced a familiar foe in Jubb, whom he faced in doubles play on the exact same court—court 2. Once again, Oradini had the upper hand, taking a 6-4, 5-3 lead before a brief 14-minute delay halted play.
Undeterred by the brief stoppage of play, Oradini came out and delivered an ace at 15-0 en route to taking the game, set, and match by a 6-4, 6-3 mark to seal the victory for the Bulldogs. Oradini's clincher was the third of the season for the sophomore, tying his doubles partner Braun for the team lead in that category.
"I am tremendously proud of Giovanni's play this past weekend," head coach Matt Roberts said. "This award is a testament to the hard work he has been putting in on and off the court. He has been very focused in his preparation and that showed up on match days. He controlled the things that he could control and executed his game plan very well on the big points this weekend."
Next Up For MSU…
State will hit the road for its first road match of the SEC slate, taking on No. 38 Alabama at 6 p.m. on Friday.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Sophomore Giovanni Oradini earned SEC Player of the Week laurels after a stellar weekend on the court that saw the sophomore clinch his team-leading third match of the season. The award marks Oradini's first career SEC Player of the Week award. He was tabbed Freshman of the Week on March 22, 2017.
"I feel truly honored to be named SEC Player of the Week," Oradini said. "I want to thank my coaches and teammates for pushing me on and off the court. Our success this weekend was a team effort and I am glad to be part of this awesome team."
The Rovereto, Italy, standout came through in clutch moments all weekend for the Maroon and White, going 4-0 in singles and doubles to help lead the Bulldogs to a pair of key ranked victories in SEC action over No. 9 Florida and No. 28 South Carolina.
Oradini began the weekend with a thrilling doubles victory alongside Niclas Braun against Florida's 12th-ranked McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale at the No. 2 position. In the win, Braun and Oradini won the final three games to upset the talented Gator duo. The win was the highest-ranked doubles victory for the tandem. The pair is now 2-0 against ranked opponents after defeating Tulane's Erlenbusch/Schick (ranked 50th) on Feb. 23.
He carried that momentum into singles play, downing Florida's highest-ranked player in straight sets. He breezed through the first set, winning by a 6-3 mark. However, UF's sixth-ranked Johannes Ingildsen was not going to go quietly, as Oradini overcame a 3-1 deficit in the second frame to win five of the final six games to win the set and the match to put the Bulldogs ahead for good.
His win against Ingildsen was the highest-ranked victory of his career and his 12th against a ranked opponent this season.
Oradini and Braun continued their doubles hot streak two days later, this time against a feisty South Carolina Gamecocks team. The duo picked up their fourth-straight win and moved to a perfect 4-0 in dual matches with a 6-3 ousting of USC's Paul Jubb and Thomas Mayronne to put the Bulldogs a win away from clinching doubles.
When the Bulldogs needed just one point to clinch the match later in the day in singles, Oradini answered the bell. After experiencing multiple weather delays, Oradini reached the 20-win mark for the first time as a Bulldog. The lefty faced a familiar foe in Jubb, whom he faced in doubles play on the exact same court—court 2. Once again, Oradini had the upper hand, taking a 6-4, 5-3 lead before a brief 14-minute delay halted play.
Undeterred by the brief stoppage of play, Oradini came out and delivered an ace at 15-0 en route to taking the game, set, and match by a 6-4, 6-3 mark to seal the victory for the Bulldogs. Oradini's clincher was the third of the season for the sophomore, tying his doubles partner Braun for the team lead in that category.
"I am tremendously proud of Giovanni's play this past weekend," head coach Matt Roberts said. "This award is a testament to the hard work he has been putting in on and off the court. He has been very focused in his preparation and that showed up on match days. He controlled the things that he could control and executed his game plan very well on the big points this weekend."
Next Up For MSU…
State will hit the road for its first road match of the SEC slate, taking on No. 38 Alabama at 6 p.m. on Friday.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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