Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship, becoming the first Bulldog pair to do so.
Borges, Rakic Receive Automatic NCAA Individual Bids; Oradini Earns At-Large
May 02, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Great postseason news just got even better for the Mississippi State men's tennis team, with three Bulldogs being selected to the 2018 NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, to be held May 23-28 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Most impressive was the news that – after their incredible play at the SEC Tournament this past weekend - MSU's dynamic duo of juniors Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned the nation's No. 1 overall seed in doubles, the highest NCAA Doubles seeding in program history.
In addition to that, Borges received his second automatic singles bid in as many seasons on Wednesday as the No. 3 overall seed in this year's NCAA Singles draw, while sophomore Giovanni Oradini earned an at-large singles bid, the first of his career.
"I'm extremely excited for all three guys to have this excellent opportunity to play in the NCAA Championship," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "They all work so hard every time they step on the court and they are very deserving of this. For Nuno and Strahinja to enter the tournament as the number one doubles seed is a testament to their hard work and dedication. All three have been a huge part of our success this season and we are so excited for them."
By being tabbed the No. 1 doubles seed, Borges and Rakic become the first pair in program history to achieve the feat. The tandem has been stellar for the Bulldogs, playing a majority of the season at the No. 1 doubles spot. Borges and Rakic currently hold a 13-4 dual match record, including a 9-4 mark at No. 1, and are 15-5 overall. The duo has won five straight and eight of its last nine—highlighted by back-to-back top-six victories at the SEC Championship this past weekend during the Bulldogs' exciting run to the tourney crown.
With their automatic bid, Borges and Rakic will become MSU's first doubles All-Americans since Marco Baron and Charles Sévigny took the honors in 2000. They are the third No. 1 NCAA individual seeds in program history as Thomas Dupre (1997) and Marco Baron (2001) were the top seeds in singles those seasons.
As the No. 3 seed in singles, Borges is the fourth player to earn a Top 4 NCAA Singles seed, joining Daniel Courcol (2, 1993), Dupre (1, 1997) and Baron (1, 2001). Coupled with his No. 2 seed last season, he is the only Bulldog to do it twice. With his automatic bid, Borges will earn All-American honors for the second year in a row, the first MSU player to do so since Romain Ambert (2002, 2003).
This season, Borges has earned a 23-5 record overall in singles play. The junior has tallied a staggering 19 ranked singles wins this season while manning the No. 1 position for the Bulldogs.
By earning All-America status in singles and doubles this season, Borges becomes just the fifth Bulldog ever to do that in the same season, joining Courcol (1993), Joc Simmons (1994), Simon Larose (1997) and Baron (2000).
Joining Borges and Rakic in Winston-Salem will be Oradini, who earned an at-large bid after an impressive season at the No. 2 singles position for the Bulldogs. Oradini leads the Bulldogs in total wins with 27 in 2017-18 and holds a 13-5 dual match ledger. The lefty has won two matches in a row and six of his last seven.
Oradini was crucial to MSU's run to the SEC Championship, clinching the Bulldogs 4-2 victory against No. 10 Florida with a three-set thriller against No. 51 Oliver Crawford. He followed that up with an epic three-set victory over 10th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech to force a 3-all score against No. 5 Texas A&M in the conference title match. For his efforts, Oradini was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team on Sunday. The Rovereto, Italy, product has been ranked as high as 13thin singles and 30thin doubles this season.
Additionally, Oradini and doubles partner Niclas Braun were named as an alternate tandem in the doubles championship. This season, the duo has been spectacular for the Maroon and White at the No. 2 position, amassing a stellar 14-1 dual match record (15-2 overall) and a sparkling 10-0 mark in conference play. The pair has been ranked as high as 30thnationally this season.
The draw for the 64-player NCAA Singles and 32-team Doubles Championships will be released closer to the start of the tournament. First-round action begins May 23, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
Up Next For MSU…
MSU readies to host the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the first time since 2013, taking on fourth-seeded Tennessee Tech no earlier than 1 p.m. on May 11 to open the 2018 NCAA Team Championship. For full tournament and ticket information, please visit www.hailstate.com/ncaatennis.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Most impressive was the news that – after their incredible play at the SEC Tournament this past weekend - MSU's dynamic duo of juniors Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned the nation's No. 1 overall seed in doubles, the highest NCAA Doubles seeding in program history.
In addition to that, Borges received his second automatic singles bid in as many seasons on Wednesday as the No. 3 overall seed in this year's NCAA Singles draw, while sophomore Giovanni Oradini earned an at-large singles bid, the first of his career.
"I'm extremely excited for all three guys to have this excellent opportunity to play in the NCAA Championship," fourth-year head coach Matt Roberts said. "They all work so hard every time they step on the court and they are very deserving of this. For Nuno and Strahinja to enter the tournament as the number one doubles seed is a testament to their hard work and dedication. All three have been a huge part of our success this season and we are so excited for them."
By being tabbed the No. 1 doubles seed, Borges and Rakic become the first pair in program history to achieve the feat. The tandem has been stellar for the Bulldogs, playing a majority of the season at the No. 1 doubles spot. Borges and Rakic currently hold a 13-4 dual match record, including a 9-4 mark at No. 1, and are 15-5 overall. The duo has won five straight and eight of its last nine—highlighted by back-to-back top-six victories at the SEC Championship this past weekend during the Bulldogs' exciting run to the tourney crown.
With their automatic bid, Borges and Rakic will become MSU's first doubles All-Americans since Marco Baron and Charles Sévigny took the honors in 2000. They are the third No. 1 NCAA individual seeds in program history as Thomas Dupre (1997) and Marco Baron (2001) were the top seeds in singles those seasons.
As the No. 3 seed in singles, Borges is the fourth player to earn a Top 4 NCAA Singles seed, joining Daniel Courcol (2, 1993), Dupre (1, 1997) and Baron (1, 2001). Coupled with his No. 2 seed last season, he is the only Bulldog to do it twice. With his automatic bid, Borges will earn All-American honors for the second year in a row, the first MSU player to do so since Romain Ambert (2002, 2003).
This season, Borges has earned a 23-5 record overall in singles play. The junior has tallied a staggering 19 ranked singles wins this season while manning the No. 1 position for the Bulldogs.
By earning All-America status in singles and doubles this season, Borges becomes just the fifth Bulldog ever to do that in the same season, joining Courcol (1993), Joc Simmons (1994), Simon Larose (1997) and Baron (2000).
Joining Borges and Rakic in Winston-Salem will be Oradini, who earned an at-large bid after an impressive season at the No. 2 singles position for the Bulldogs. Oradini leads the Bulldogs in total wins with 27 in 2017-18 and holds a 13-5 dual match ledger. The lefty has won two matches in a row and six of his last seven.
Oradini was crucial to MSU's run to the SEC Championship, clinching the Bulldogs 4-2 victory against No. 10 Florida with a three-set thriller against No. 51 Oliver Crawford. He followed that up with an epic three-set victory over 10th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech to force a 3-all score against No. 5 Texas A&M in the conference title match. For his efforts, Oradini was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team on Sunday. The Rovereto, Italy, product has been ranked as high as 13thin singles and 30thin doubles this season.
Additionally, Oradini and doubles partner Niclas Braun were named as an alternate tandem in the doubles championship. This season, the duo has been spectacular for the Maroon and White at the No. 2 position, amassing a stellar 14-1 dual match record (15-2 overall) and a sparkling 10-0 mark in conference play. The pair has been ranked as high as 30thnationally this season.
The draw for the 64-player NCAA Singles and 32-team Doubles Championships will be released closer to the start of the tournament. First-round action begins May 23, at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.
Up Next For MSU…
MSU readies to host the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the first time since 2013, taking on fourth-seeded Tennessee Tech no earlier than 1 p.m. on May 11 to open the 2018 NCAA Team Championship. For full tournament and ticket information, please visit www.hailstate.com/ncaatennis.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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