Friday, May 11
Starkville
not before 1:00 PM
Mississippi State
4
vs
0
Tennessee Tech
Giovanni Oradini clinched his team-best 10th match on Friday in MSU's win against Tennessee Tech.
Photo by: Blake Williams/MSU Athletics
No. 7 Bulldogs Dominate Tennessee Tech In NCAA First Round
May 11, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – In the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Championship, the seventh-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team had little trouble, posting a dominant 4-0 victory against Tennessee Tech Friday at MSU's A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
By defeating the Golden Eagles (10-12), the SEC Champion Bulldogs (21-2) move to their eighth-straight NCAA second round match, where they will take on third-seeded South Alabama (15-9) at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The Jaguars upset 21st-ranked and second-seeded Memphis in a 4-3 thriller in Friday's first match.
"We did a good job of taking care of our service games and returned well in doubles," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "They set up each other really well and gave us a good start. I thought we came out and did really well in singles in the first sets. We got a little complacent in the second sets and Tennessee Tech did a nice job of coming back in those sets. The guys pushed through it, though, and I'm very proud of how they competed today."
Doubles moved quite quickly Friday, with the Bulldogs in the driver's seat nearly the entire time. State's top-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic finished first, taking a 6-1 victory on court 1 against Golden Eagles Arthur Justo and Marc Mila.
The Maroon and White then clinched the doubles point once again with a 6-3 win by 38th-ranked Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini on court 2 against TTU's Wenceslao Albin and Riku Kubota. Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey's match on court 3 was suspended with the duo leading 5-2 against Tennessee Tech's Gonzalo Garcia and Eduardo Mena. The Bulldogs have now won eight straight doubles points and 17 of their last 19.
In singles, the Bulldogs got off to yet another roaring start to cruise to the win.
On court 4, Braun dispatched the Golden Eagles' Kubota handily—6-0, 6-3. A few minutes later, 2018 SEC Tournament MVP Trevor Foshey put the Bulldogs up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Arthur Justo on court 6 after going down 2-1 early in the first frame.
Then, as he has nine other times this season, MSU's Oradini was the one to wrap the match in Maroon and White. After going up a set 6-1 against Albin on court 2, the 23rd-ranked Bulldog fended off a comeback effort in the second set to win it 7-5 and clinch his team-leading 10thmatch.
"It was hot, so I tried to play a big game and make him do most of the running, which helped," Oradini said. "It was definitely a pretty hot day, but I felt good. I am excited to play tomorrow and I think today really prepared me better for tomorrow's match."
State moved to 3-1 all-time against TTU, and is now 25-22 all-time in the NCAA Championship. In opening-round competition, MSU is now 19-4.
Next Up For MSU…
MSU will take on third-seeded South Alabama Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 on May 18 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Jaguars are making their first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 2008 after earning an automatic bid by winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship with a 4-1 victory against Georgia State.
USA is led in doubles by 51st-ranked Loic Cloes and Clement Marzol. Marzol and Cloes also top the singles lineup for the Jaguars at the 1 and 2 positions, respectively.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 7 Mississippi State 4, Tennessee Tech 0
2018 NCAA Championship – First Round
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Starkville, Miss.
May 11, 2018
Doubles
1. #1 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Arthur Justo/Marc Mila (TTU) 6-1
2. #38 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Wenceslao Albin/Riku Kubota (TTU) 6-3
3. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. Gonzalo Garcia/Eduardo Mena (TTU) 5-2 (susp.)
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. #66 Eduardo Mena (TTU) 6-7(9), 3-2 (susp.)
2. #23 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Wenceslao Albin (TTU) 6-1, 7-5
3. #84 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Jorge Alfonzo (TTU) 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (susp.)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Riku Kubota (TTU) 6-0, 6-3
5. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Gonzalo Garcia (TTU) 6-1, 4-3 (susp.)
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Arthur Justo (TTU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 4, 6, 2
By defeating the Golden Eagles (10-12), the SEC Champion Bulldogs (21-2) move to their eighth-straight NCAA second round match, where they will take on third-seeded South Alabama (15-9) at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The Jaguars upset 21st-ranked and second-seeded Memphis in a 4-3 thriller in Friday's first match.
"We did a good job of taking care of our service games and returned well in doubles," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "They set up each other really well and gave us a good start. I thought we came out and did really well in singles in the first sets. We got a little complacent in the second sets and Tennessee Tech did a nice job of coming back in those sets. The guys pushed through it, though, and I'm very proud of how they competed today."
Doubles moved quite quickly Friday, with the Bulldogs in the driver's seat nearly the entire time. State's top-ranked Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic finished first, taking a 6-1 victory on court 1 against Golden Eagles Arthur Justo and Marc Mila.
The Maroon and White then clinched the doubles point once again with a 6-3 win by 38th-ranked Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini on court 2 against TTU's Wenceslao Albin and Riku Kubota. Florian Broska and Trevor Foshey's match on court 3 was suspended with the duo leading 5-2 against Tennessee Tech's Gonzalo Garcia and Eduardo Mena. The Bulldogs have now won eight straight doubles points and 17 of their last 19.
In singles, the Bulldogs got off to yet another roaring start to cruise to the win.
On court 4, Braun dispatched the Golden Eagles' Kubota handily—6-0, 6-3. A few minutes later, 2018 SEC Tournament MVP Trevor Foshey put the Bulldogs up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Arthur Justo on court 6 after going down 2-1 early in the first frame.
Then, as he has nine other times this season, MSU's Oradini was the one to wrap the match in Maroon and White. After going up a set 6-1 against Albin on court 2, the 23rd-ranked Bulldog fended off a comeback effort in the second set to win it 7-5 and clinch his team-leading 10thmatch.
"It was hot, so I tried to play a big game and make him do most of the running, which helped," Oradini said. "It was definitely a pretty hot day, but I felt good. I am excited to play tomorrow and I think today really prepared me better for tomorrow's match."
State moved to 3-1 all-time against TTU, and is now 25-22 all-time in the NCAA Championship. In opening-round competition, MSU is now 19-4.
Next Up For MSU…
MSU will take on third-seeded South Alabama Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 on May 18 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The Jaguars are making their first appearance in the NCAA Championship since 2008 after earning an automatic bid by winning the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship with a 4-1 victory against Georgia State.
USA is led in doubles by 51st-ranked Loic Cloes and Clement Marzol. Marzol and Cloes also top the singles lineup for the Jaguars at the 1 and 2 positions, respectively.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 7 Mississippi State 4, Tennessee Tech 0
2018 NCAA Championship – First Round
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Starkville, Miss.
May 11, 2018
Doubles
1. #1 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Arthur Justo/Marc Mila (TTU) 6-1
2. #38 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Wenceslao Albin/Riku Kubota (TTU) 6-3
3. Florian Broska/Trevor Foshey (MSU) vs. Gonzalo Garcia/Eduardo Mena (TTU) 5-2 (susp.)
Order of finish: 1, 2
Singles
1. #2 Nuno Borges (MSU) vs. #66 Eduardo Mena (TTU) 6-7(9), 3-2 (susp.)
2. #23 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Wenceslao Albin (TTU) 6-1, 7-5
3. #84 Strahinja Rakic (MSU) vs. Jorge Alfonzo (TTU) 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 (susp.)
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Riku Kubota (TTU) 6-0, 6-3
5. Florian Broska (MSU) vs. Gonzalo Garcia (TTU) 6-1, 4-3 (susp.)
6. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Arthur Justo (TTU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 4, 6, 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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