Friday, March 16
Tuscaloosa, Al.
6:00 PM
Mississippi State
4
at
0
Alabama
MSU's Nuno Borges picked up his 16th consecutive win Friday night as the Bulldogs shut out the Crimson Tide.
Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics
No. 15 Bulldogs Blank Crimson Tide, 4-0, In Tuscaloosa
March 16, 2018 | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – A pair of ranked doubles wins and solid singles play helped the 15th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (10-1, 4-0 SEC) to its sixth-straight win on Friday night, as the Bulldogs blanked No. 38 Alabama (14-5, 0-4), 4-0, in their first road match of league play.
Rain forced the match indoors, but the Bulldogs handled the change well en route to their second shutout of the season.
"These matches come down to who handles adversity better," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "I felt like we made a push on the big moments but we were slightly undisciplined with our emotions in some of those moments because this is a tough place to play. When we came inside, we knew it was going to be another element of adversity and we did well in doubles. We made a solid push in singles, but we still had a few ups and downs with our emotions but I'm very proud of the guys in how they handled themselves down the stretch on those big points."
To start off the evening in doubles, Alabama gained a quick advantage on court 3, with Riccardo Roberto and Zhe Zhou downing State's 59th-ranked Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey by a 6-2 margin. The Bulldogs were not about to go quietly, however.
Courts 1 and 2 were back-and-forth battles the entire time, but the Bulldogs executed when it mattered most. MSU evened up doubles at a match apiece when Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned a hard-fought 6-4 victory against UA's 31st-ranked Edson Ortiz and Mazen Osama on court 1, breaking in the final game of the contest for the win. The triumph was the duo's first ranked victory of the season.
On court 2, a similar battle was brewing, as Bulldog tandem Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini were in a nip-and-tuck battle with 46th-ranked Thibault Cancel and Alexey Nesterov. Neither duo led by more than a game, but after the Crimson Tide duo knotted it up a 5-all, Braun and Oradini took the lead for good at 6-5. The Bulldog pair then claimed the 7-5 victory—its second over a ranked foe in three matches. Braun and Oradini also have a team-best six-match win streak in doubles action and have won five straight in dual matches.
In singles, MSU's fourth-ranked Borges moved quickly through his first set versus Osama, taking it 6-2 with a service ace at 40-30.
"I was pumped for this match (against Osama)," the All-American Borges said. "I knew if I took care of business and did my thing I had a really good chance to win. I am glad I was able to pull out the win for my team."
However, Osama fought back in the second set, building a 3-0 lead. Borges then stormed back and won six of the last seven games to post his 16th consecutive victory and fifth straight over a ranked opponent with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Borges' win put State ahead 2-0.
"I started controlling my emotions better in the second set (after going down 3-0), I focused on what I needed to do and I fought hard on each point," Borges said. "I was then able to start getting the breaks I needed and that's when I took control of the match."
On court 5, the Bulldog rookie Broska notched his third SEC win in four matches, taking a tight 6-4, 7-5 win against 'Bama's Alexey Nesterov to put State up 3-0.
MSU's 23rd-ranked Oradini then continued his hot streak with his third straight victory, staving off UA's Cancel 7-6(5), 6-4 on court 2. In the set 1 tiebreaker, Oradini battled back from down 5-2 to win the final five points to take the set. Oradini's win clinched the victory for the Maroon and White, his second consecutive match clincher. The Rovereto, Italy, sophomore now leads the team in that category with four.
At the time of Oradini's clincher, matches on courts 3, 4 and 6 were suspended. On court 3, the 82nd-ranked Bulldog Rakic battled back to force a third set after dropping his first set to Zhou 6-3. Rakic led 3-2 at the stoppage of play.
On courts 4 and 6, Braun and Foshey each battled back from deficits to win their first sets. On court 4, Braun took a 6-5 lead and then broke Ortiz at deuce to win 7-5. Ortiz went on to win the second set 7-5 to force a third set right as Oradini sealed the MSU win. Foshey was down 5-2 in his first set and won the final five games to take it 7-5 against Roberto at No. 6. The match was suspended with the score at 5-all in the second frame.
With the win, State moved to 34-24 in the series against UA since 1969 and has won nine straight over the Crimson Tide. In Tuscaloosa, the Bulldogs improved to 15-11 in the series and have won four in a row. Against ranked opponents under Roberts' guidance, the Bulldogs are now 39-26 overall (4-1 this season).
"We had a lot of sets where we were down and then came back," Roberts said. "I'm really proud of the guys and how they competed today. They were hungry and are competing well together and we are having more and more fun in those tough moments."
Next Up For MSU…
MSU will return to the friendly confines of A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, where the Bulldogs are 7-0 this season, to host a pair of top-25 foes next weekend. First, State will host No. 20 Vanderbilt (14-2, 4-0) at 3 p.m. on March 23, followed by a Sunday match versus 21st-ranked Kentucky (10-5, 3-1) at 1 p.m.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 15 Mississippi State 4, No. 38 Alabama 0
Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility (Indoors)
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
March 16, 2018
Doubles
1. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #31 Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama (UA) 6-4
2. Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #46 Thibault Cancel/Alexey Nesterov (UA) 7-5
3. Riccardo Roberto/Zhe Zhou (UA) def. #59 Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #92 Mazen Osama (UA) 6-2, 6-4
2. #23 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Thibault Cancel (UA) 7-6(5), 6-4
3. #82 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Zhe Zhou (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 3-2 (susp.)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) vs. Edson Ortiz (UA) 7-5, 5-7 (susp.)
5. Florian Broska (MSU) def. Alexey Nesterov (UA) 6-4, 7-5
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. Riccardo Roberto (UA) 7-5, 5-5 (susp.)
Order of finish: 1, 5, 2
Rain forced the match indoors, but the Bulldogs handled the change well en route to their second shutout of the season.
"These matches come down to who handles adversity better," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "I felt like we made a push on the big moments but we were slightly undisciplined with our emotions in some of those moments because this is a tough place to play. When we came inside, we knew it was going to be another element of adversity and we did well in doubles. We made a solid push in singles, but we still had a few ups and downs with our emotions but I'm very proud of the guys in how they handled themselves down the stretch on those big points."
To start off the evening in doubles, Alabama gained a quick advantage on court 3, with Riccardo Roberto and Zhe Zhou downing State's 59th-ranked Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey by a 6-2 margin. The Bulldogs were not about to go quietly, however.
Courts 1 and 2 were back-and-forth battles the entire time, but the Bulldogs executed when it mattered most. MSU evened up doubles at a match apiece when Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned a hard-fought 6-4 victory against UA's 31st-ranked Edson Ortiz and Mazen Osama on court 1, breaking in the final game of the contest for the win. The triumph was the duo's first ranked victory of the season.
On court 2, a similar battle was brewing, as Bulldog tandem Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini were in a nip-and-tuck battle with 46th-ranked Thibault Cancel and Alexey Nesterov. Neither duo led by more than a game, but after the Crimson Tide duo knotted it up a 5-all, Braun and Oradini took the lead for good at 6-5. The Bulldog pair then claimed the 7-5 victory—its second over a ranked foe in three matches. Braun and Oradini also have a team-best six-match win streak in doubles action and have won five straight in dual matches.
In singles, MSU's fourth-ranked Borges moved quickly through his first set versus Osama, taking it 6-2 with a service ace at 40-30.
"I was pumped for this match (against Osama)," the All-American Borges said. "I knew if I took care of business and did my thing I had a really good chance to win. I am glad I was able to pull out the win for my team."
However, Osama fought back in the second set, building a 3-0 lead. Borges then stormed back and won six of the last seven games to post his 16th consecutive victory and fifth straight over a ranked opponent with a 6-2, 6-4 victory. Borges' win put State ahead 2-0.
"I started controlling my emotions better in the second set (after going down 3-0), I focused on what I needed to do and I fought hard on each point," Borges said. "I was then able to start getting the breaks I needed and that's when I took control of the match."
On court 5, the Bulldog rookie Broska notched his third SEC win in four matches, taking a tight 6-4, 7-5 win against 'Bama's Alexey Nesterov to put State up 3-0.
MSU's 23rd-ranked Oradini then continued his hot streak with his third straight victory, staving off UA's Cancel 7-6(5), 6-4 on court 2. In the set 1 tiebreaker, Oradini battled back from down 5-2 to win the final five points to take the set. Oradini's win clinched the victory for the Maroon and White, his second consecutive match clincher. The Rovereto, Italy, sophomore now leads the team in that category with four.
At the time of Oradini's clincher, matches on courts 3, 4 and 6 were suspended. On court 3, the 82nd-ranked Bulldog Rakic battled back to force a third set after dropping his first set to Zhou 6-3. Rakic led 3-2 at the stoppage of play.
On courts 4 and 6, Braun and Foshey each battled back from deficits to win their first sets. On court 4, Braun took a 6-5 lead and then broke Ortiz at deuce to win 7-5. Ortiz went on to win the second set 7-5 to force a third set right as Oradini sealed the MSU win. Foshey was down 5-2 in his first set and won the final five games to take it 7-5 against Roberto at No. 6. The match was suspended with the score at 5-all in the second frame.
With the win, State moved to 34-24 in the series against UA since 1969 and has won nine straight over the Crimson Tide. In Tuscaloosa, the Bulldogs improved to 15-11 in the series and have won four in a row. Against ranked opponents under Roberts' guidance, the Bulldogs are now 39-26 overall (4-1 this season).
"We had a lot of sets where we were down and then came back," Roberts said. "I'm really proud of the guys and how they competed today. They were hungry and are competing well together and we are having more and more fun in those tough moments."
Next Up For MSU…
MSU will return to the friendly confines of A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, where the Bulldogs are 7-0 this season, to host a pair of top-25 foes next weekend. First, State will host No. 20 Vanderbilt (14-2, 4-0) at 3 p.m. on March 23, followed by a Sunday match versus 21st-ranked Kentucky (10-5, 3-1) at 1 p.m.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 15 Mississippi State 4, No. 38 Alabama 0
Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility (Indoors)
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
March 16, 2018
Doubles
1. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #31 Edson Ortiz/Mazen Osama (UA) 6-4
2. Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #46 Thibault Cancel/Alexey Nesterov (UA) 7-5
3. Riccardo Roberto/Zhe Zhou (UA) def. #59 Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #4 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #92 Mazen Osama (UA) 6-2, 6-4
2. #23 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Thibault Cancel (UA) 7-6(5), 6-4
3. #82 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Zhe Zhou (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 3-2 (susp.)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) vs. Edson Ortiz (UA) 7-5, 5-7 (susp.)
5. Florian Broska (MSU) def. Alexey Nesterov (UA) 6-4, 7-5
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. Riccardo Roberto (UA) 7-5, 5-5 (susp.)
Order of finish: 1, 5, 2
Players Mentioned
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