Saturday, April 28
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2:00 PM
Mississippi State
4
vs
2
Florida
Mississippi State advances to its second straight SEC Championship title match with a 4-2 against Florida on Saturday.
Photo by: Michael Wade/Wade Event Photography
No. 9 Bulldogs Push Past No. 10 Gators; Set Up SEC Title Match With No. 5 Aggies Sunday
April 28, 2018 | Men's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Toughness was needed in big ways on semifinal Saturday at the 2018 SEC Men's Tennis Championship in a match between Top 10 teams Mississippi State and Florida.
The Bulldogs' toughness won out, as second-seeded and ninth-ranked MSU (19-2) advanced to its second straight SEC Championship title match with an exciting 4-2 victory against the third-seeded and 10th-ranked Gators (16-9).
MSU will now face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas A&M (22-4) at Noon on Sunday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. The Aggies topped fourth-seeded Tennessee, 4-0, in their semifinal match on Saturday. TAMU won the regular-season meeting against the Bulldogs, 5-2, on April 13 in College Station, MSU's only SEC setback of the season.
Sunday's match will be aired live on the SEC Network and WatchESPN, with Sam Gore and Jimmy Arias on the call. Live video and stats will also be available at www.rolltide.com/sec.
"The guys are believing in and supporting each other more than ever, and that's something we really stress in practice," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "These guys are taking ownership of this program. Good things are happening because these second- and third-year guys are changing this culture. Their expectations are higher, even with the day-to-day things."
Facing three of the nation's top 50 doubles teams, the Bulldogs would have to dig hard to grab the doubles point. And the Maroon and White did just that, coming out with an abundance of energy and started strong on all three courts. MSU's 15th-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic were first off the court, taking a huge upset victory against UF's Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez—the third-ranked duo in the country – by a 6-3 score.
The Gators' 25th-ranked Oliver Crawford and Chase Perez-Blanco then earned a tight 6-4 win on court 3 against MSU's Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey to even the doubles count at one apiece, setting up an exciting finish at the No. 2 position.
On court 2, MSU's 61st-ranked pair of Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini were locked in a back-and-forth battle with UF's No. 49 tandem of McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale. The Bulldog duo duplicated its result against Kessler and Vale from their meeting in Starkville in March, taking a 6-4 victory to clinch the doubles point. It was their 13th triumph in 14 dual matches this season.
The match was just as tight in singles, with both teams taking three first sets. However, MSU's second-ranked Borges notched his 80th career singles win with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against UF's 24th-ranked Ingildsen. At 40-15, Borges delivered a rocket to the inside corner of the service box for a second-serve ace to seal his match on court 1.
Florida cut MSU's lead in half when No. 13 Perez completed a 6-3, 6-2 win against State's 77th-ranked Strahinja Rakic on court 3. The Gators then tied up the match when Kessler downed State's Foshey in an exciting three-setter on court 6 by a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 mark. Foshey's match would be the first of four three-setters on the day.
With both teams needing two of the remaining three courts to pull out the win, all three of them would go to a third frame as well.
The Bulldogs went up 3-2 when Braun rallied from a set down to take an inspired 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Florida's Perez-Blanco on court 4.
Like Braun, State's 27th-ranked Oradini dropped a tight 6-4 decision in his first frame against the Gators' 51st-ranked Crawford, but came through when it mattered most in his second and third sets. The sophomore led 5-2 in the third, but Crawford battled back to win the next two games to make it 5-4 on serve. At 15-40, Oradini delivered a blistering strike past Crawford on the left sideline to wrap the match in Maroon and White, sending the Bulldogs to the championship match on Sunday.
MSU's Broska was down 5-2 at No. 5 against UF's Andrade when the match was clinched.
State has now won two straight matches against the Gators and is set to make its sixth appearance in the SEC final match since the tournament went to a dual match format in 1990. MSU's only SEC tournament title came in 1996.
"I believe in every guy on this team and they believe in each other to get the job done," Roberts said. "We have 100-percent trust in them and we're going to find a way to help them through those key moments."
Next Up For MSU…
MSU will now face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas A&M (22-4) at Noon on Sunday for the 2018 SEC Championship.
The Aggies are led in singles by seventh-ranked rookie Patrick Kypson. Arthur Rinderknech is currently ranked 10th nationally, while Jordi Arconada sits at No. 48 in the nation. Valentin Vacherot (71st) and freshman Juan Carlos Aguilar (No. 121) round out the ranked Aggies in singles.
In doubles, Aguilar and Arconada are ranked No. 6 in the country. Arconada teams up with Kevin Lam to form the nation's 59th-best tandem, while Kypson and Rinderknech are currently ranked 64th.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 9 Mississippi State 4, No. 10 Florida 2
2018 SEC Championship - Semifinals
Alabama Tennis Stadium
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
April 28, 2018
Doubles
1. #15 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #3 Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (UF) 6-3
2. #61 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #49 McClain Kessler/Duarte Vale (UF) 6-4
3. #25 Oliver Crawford/Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #24 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) 6-4, 6-4
2. #27 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #51 Oliver Crawford (UF) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. #13 Alfredo Perez (UF) def. #77 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Andy Andrade (UF) 7-6(5), 4-6, 2-5 (susp.)
6. McClain Kessler (UF) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 6, 4, 2
The Bulldogs' toughness won out, as second-seeded and ninth-ranked MSU (19-2) advanced to its second straight SEC Championship title match with an exciting 4-2 victory against the third-seeded and 10th-ranked Gators (16-9).
MSU will now face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas A&M (22-4) at Noon on Sunday at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. The Aggies topped fourth-seeded Tennessee, 4-0, in their semifinal match on Saturday. TAMU won the regular-season meeting against the Bulldogs, 5-2, on April 13 in College Station, MSU's only SEC setback of the season.
Sunday's match will be aired live on the SEC Network and WatchESPN, with Sam Gore and Jimmy Arias on the call. Live video and stats will also be available at www.rolltide.com/sec.
"The guys are believing in and supporting each other more than ever, and that's something we really stress in practice," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "These guys are taking ownership of this program. Good things are happening because these second- and third-year guys are changing this culture. Their expectations are higher, even with the day-to-day things."
Facing three of the nation's top 50 doubles teams, the Bulldogs would have to dig hard to grab the doubles point. And the Maroon and White did just that, coming out with an abundance of energy and started strong on all three courts. MSU's 15th-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic were first off the court, taking a huge upset victory against UF's Johannes Ingildsen and Alfredo Perez—the third-ranked duo in the country – by a 6-3 score.
The Gators' 25th-ranked Oliver Crawford and Chase Perez-Blanco then earned a tight 6-4 win on court 3 against MSU's Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey to even the doubles count at one apiece, setting up an exciting finish at the No. 2 position.
On court 2, MSU's 61st-ranked pair of Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini were locked in a back-and-forth battle with UF's No. 49 tandem of McClain Kessler and Duarte Vale. The Bulldog duo duplicated its result against Kessler and Vale from their meeting in Starkville in March, taking a 6-4 victory to clinch the doubles point. It was their 13th triumph in 14 dual matches this season.
The match was just as tight in singles, with both teams taking three first sets. However, MSU's second-ranked Borges notched his 80th career singles win with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against UF's 24th-ranked Ingildsen. At 40-15, Borges delivered a rocket to the inside corner of the service box for a second-serve ace to seal his match on court 1.
Florida cut MSU's lead in half when No. 13 Perez completed a 6-3, 6-2 win against State's 77th-ranked Strahinja Rakic on court 3. The Gators then tied up the match when Kessler downed State's Foshey in an exciting three-setter on court 6 by a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 mark. Foshey's match would be the first of four three-setters on the day.
With both teams needing two of the remaining three courts to pull out the win, all three of them would go to a third frame as well.
The Bulldogs went up 3-2 when Braun rallied from a set down to take an inspired 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory against Florida's Perez-Blanco on court 4.
Like Braun, State's 27th-ranked Oradini dropped a tight 6-4 decision in his first frame against the Gators' 51st-ranked Crawford, but came through when it mattered most in his second and third sets. The sophomore led 5-2 in the third, but Crawford battled back to win the next two games to make it 5-4 on serve. At 15-40, Oradini delivered a blistering strike past Crawford on the left sideline to wrap the match in Maroon and White, sending the Bulldogs to the championship match on Sunday.
MSU's Broska was down 5-2 at No. 5 against UF's Andrade when the match was clinched.
State has now won two straight matches against the Gators and is set to make its sixth appearance in the SEC final match since the tournament went to a dual match format in 1990. MSU's only SEC tournament title came in 1996.
"I believe in every guy on this team and they believe in each other to get the job done," Roberts said. "We have 100-percent trust in them and we're going to find a way to help them through those key moments."
Next Up For MSU…
MSU will now face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas A&M (22-4) at Noon on Sunday for the 2018 SEC Championship.
The Aggies are led in singles by seventh-ranked rookie Patrick Kypson. Arthur Rinderknech is currently ranked 10th nationally, while Jordi Arconada sits at No. 48 in the nation. Valentin Vacherot (71st) and freshman Juan Carlos Aguilar (No. 121) round out the ranked Aggies in singles.
In doubles, Aguilar and Arconada are ranked No. 6 in the country. Arconada teams up with Kevin Lam to form the nation's 59th-best tandem, while Kypson and Rinderknech are currently ranked 64th.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 9 Mississippi State 4, No. 10 Florida 2
2018 SEC Championship - Semifinals
Alabama Tennis Stadium
Tuscaloosa, Ala.
April 28, 2018
Doubles
1. #15 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #3 Johannes Ingildsen/Alfredo Perez (UF) 6-3
2. #61 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #49 McClain Kessler/Duarte Vale (UF) 6-4
3. #25 Oliver Crawford/Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) def. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. #24 Johannes Ingildsen (UF) 6-4, 6-4
2. #27 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. #51 Oliver Crawford (UF) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. #13 Alfredo Perez (UF) def. #77 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Chase Perez-Blanco (UF) 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Andy Andrade (UF) 7-6(5), 4-6, 2-5 (susp.)
6. McClain Kessler (UF) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 6, 4, 2
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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