MSU's Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic became the first Bulldog doubles pair to earn a No. 1 ranking since 1994.
Borges, Rakic No. 1 In ITA Doubles Rankings; Five Bulldogs Ranked Overall
May 03, 2018 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A day after Mississippi State men's tennis doubles pair Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Doubles Championship, the dynamic duo picked up the top spot in the latest Oracle ITA Rankings, released Thursday.
In the team rankings, the Bulldogs moved up two spots to seventh after its dramatic run to the 2018 SEC Championship crown this past weekend.
Borges and Rakic become the first Bulldog tandem to earn the country's No. 1 ranking since Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons held the top spot in the fall of 1994 after winning the NCAA Doubles crown earlier that year. The junior State players become the ninth and 10th No. 1-ranked players MSU men's and women's tennis have had in their storied history (see chart below).
The Bulldog duo rose from No. 15 all the way up to the top spot after three wins against top-20 foes in the SEC Championship this past weekend, including back-to-back wins against top-six opponents in the semifinal and final rounds. Borges and Rakic have won five in a row and eight of their last nine.
Borges and Rakic also remained in the singles rankings, with the All-American Borges leading the way at No. 2 nationally, while Rakic is ranked 84th. Sophomore Giovanni Oradini moved up to No. 23 after picking up a pair of ranked wins in Tuscaloosa over the weekend, including a match-tying victory at the No. 2 spot against 10th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech of Texas A&M on Sunday.
Niclas Braun and Oradini moved up a staggering 23 spots to No. 38. Playing at the No. 2 doubles position, Braun and Oradini lead the Bulldogs with a stellar 14-1 record in dual match play, including a perfect 10-0 ledger in conference action.
Braun and SEC Tournament MVP Trevor Foshey also re-entered the doubles rankings at No. 87, despite not having played as a pair since January.
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.
MSU's No. 1 National Rankings In Tennis
Mississippi State Tennis has had four singles players and four doubles teams hold No. 1 national rankings during their Bulldog careers. Two of the four singles players have ended seasons ranked in the country's top spot (Thomas Dupré in 1997 and Marco Baron in 2001). The longest any player has held the No. 1 ranking was Thomas Dupré for 364 days (12/10/96-12/9/97), which spanned nine releases of the national rankings.
Daniel Courcol is the only Bulldog to ever hold No. 1 national rankings in both singles and doubles during a career and Laurent Miquelard is the only MSU player to ever hold the No. 1 national doubles ranking with two different partners.
In the team rankings, the Bulldogs moved up two spots to seventh after its dramatic run to the 2018 SEC Championship crown this past weekend.
Borges and Rakic become the first Bulldog tandem to earn the country's No. 1 ranking since Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons held the top spot in the fall of 1994 after winning the NCAA Doubles crown earlier that year. The junior State players become the ninth and 10th No. 1-ranked players MSU men's and women's tennis have had in their storied history (see chart below).
The Bulldog duo rose from No. 15 all the way up to the top spot after three wins against top-20 foes in the SEC Championship this past weekend, including back-to-back wins against top-six opponents in the semifinal and final rounds. Borges and Rakic have won five in a row and eight of their last nine.
Borges and Rakic also remained in the singles rankings, with the All-American Borges leading the way at No. 2 nationally, while Rakic is ranked 84th. Sophomore Giovanni Oradini moved up to No. 23 after picking up a pair of ranked wins in Tuscaloosa over the weekend, including a match-tying victory at the No. 2 spot against 10th-ranked Arthur Rinderknech of Texas A&M on Sunday.
Niclas Braun and Oradini moved up a staggering 23 spots to No. 38. Playing at the No. 2 doubles position, Braun and Oradini lead the Bulldogs with a stellar 14-1 record in dual match play, including a perfect 10-0 ledger in conference action.
Braun and SEC Tournament MVP Trevor Foshey also re-entered the doubles rankings at No. 87, despite not having played as a pair since January.
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.
MSU's No. 1 National Rankings In Tennis
Mississippi State Tennis has had four singles players and four doubles teams hold No. 1 national rankings during their Bulldog careers. Two of the four singles players have ended seasons ranked in the country's top spot (Thomas Dupré in 1997 and Marco Baron in 2001). The longest any player has held the No. 1 ranking was Thomas Dupré for 364 days (12/10/96-12/9/97), which spanned nine releases of the national rankings.
Daniel Courcol is the only Bulldog to ever hold No. 1 national rankings in both singles and doubles during a career and Laurent Miquelard is the only MSU player to ever hold the No. 1 national doubles ranking with two different partners.
| Player(s) | S/D | Time Held |
| Men | ||
| Daniel Courcol | S | 12/8/92-4/20/93 |
| Laurent Orsini | S | 12/7/93-5/10/94 |
| 9/26/94-12/6/94 | ||
| Thomas Dupré | S | 12/10/96-12/9/97 (1997 Final Poll) |
| Marco Baron | S | 6/1/01 (Final Poll) |
| Daniel Courcol/Laurent Miquelard | D | 3/9/93-5/4/93 |
| Laurent Miquelard/Joc Simmons | D | 9/26/94-12/6/94 |
| Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic | D | 5/3/18- |
| Women | ||
| Jackie Holden/Claire Pollard | D | 6/6/89 (Final Poll) |
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