Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic were once again ranked at the top of the ITA Doubles Rankings on Tuesday.
Bulldog Men’s Tennis Players Highly-Ranked In Fall Preseason Rankings
September 11, 2018 | Men's Tennis
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – After a season that saw the Mississippi State men's tennis team reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1998 and end the season ranked No. 5 nationally as a team, four Bulldogs found themselves in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association fall preseason individual rankings released Tuesday.
Leading the way were two top five singles players in ITA Singles All-Americans Nuno Borges and Giovanni Oradini. In doubles, a pair of Bulldog tandems found themselves ranked in the top 10, led by top-ranked Borges and Strahinja Rakic.
Borges, the reigning two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and NCAA Singles semifinalist, led State at No. 2 nationally in singles, with Oradini right behind him at the No. 5 spot—a career-best. Rakic also earned the highest singles ranking of his career, coming in at 43rd nationally. Niclas Braun rounded out MSU's ranked singles players at No. 109—a career high as well for the Berlin, Germany, native.
By being ranked second in Tuesday's poll, the senior Borges matches his highest ranking of his career, achieved multiple times in 2017-18. Oradini's No. 5 ranking gives State two top-five singles players in the same ITA poll for the first time since 1996-97, when All-Americans Thomas Dupré and Matthieu Ballay held down the nation's No. 1 and 2 spots for a period of four months that season.
At No. 1 in doubles, Borges and Rakic became the first Bulldog pair to open the season with the top ranking since Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons opened the fall of 1994 ranked as the country top pair. With Braun and Oradini being ranked seventh in Tuesday's poll, MSU has two top 10 doubles teams in the same week for the first time since 1995 (Miquelard/Simmons & Matt Pledger/Simmons on two occasions).
The ITA also announced selections for the 2018 Saint Francis Health System/ITA All-American Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Tulsa in October for the 12th-straight year. Six Bulldogs are featured in the event, highlighted by Borges, Oradini and Rakic who have all earned automatic spots in the 64-player singles main draw. The tournament kicks off with pre-qualifying starting on Sept. 29. Qualifying matches run from Oct. 1-2, while the main draw is Oct. 4-8.
Braun earned a spot in the singles qualifying draw, while Foshey and Broska will open up in the pre-qualifying draw. In doubles, State's top-ranked duo of Borges and Rakic were one of two Bulldog tandems in the 32-team main draw in doubles. Braun and Oradini will join Borges and Rakic in that phase of the tournament to round out MSU's selections.
In addition to Borges' run to the singles semifinals last spring, he and Rakic had the best performance by an MSU pair in the NCAA Doubles Championship since 2000 - reaching the quarterfinals - while Oradini reached the Round of 16 of singles.
Up Next For MSU …
Borges opens up his fall slate on Saturday at the ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Columbus, Ohio, while his teammates will open up their fall competition the following weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Columbia, South Carolina.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
STARKVILLE – After a season that saw the Mississippi State men's tennis team reach the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1998 and end the season ranked No. 5 nationally as a team, four Bulldogs found themselves in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association fall preseason individual rankings released Tuesday.
Leading the way were two top five singles players in ITA Singles All-Americans Nuno Borges and Giovanni Oradini. In doubles, a pair of Bulldog tandems found themselves ranked in the top 10, led by top-ranked Borges and Strahinja Rakic.
Borges, the reigning two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and NCAA Singles semifinalist, led State at No. 2 nationally in singles, with Oradini right behind him at the No. 5 spot—a career-best. Rakic also earned the highest singles ranking of his career, coming in at 43rd nationally. Niclas Braun rounded out MSU's ranked singles players at No. 109—a career high as well for the Berlin, Germany, native.
By being ranked second in Tuesday's poll, the senior Borges matches his highest ranking of his career, achieved multiple times in 2017-18. Oradini's No. 5 ranking gives State two top-five singles players in the same ITA poll for the first time since 1996-97, when All-Americans Thomas Dupré and Matthieu Ballay held down the nation's No. 1 and 2 spots for a period of four months that season.
At No. 1 in doubles, Borges and Rakic became the first Bulldog pair to open the season with the top ranking since Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons opened the fall of 1994 ranked as the country top pair. With Braun and Oradini being ranked seventh in Tuesday's poll, MSU has two top 10 doubles teams in the same week for the first time since 1995 (Miquelard/Simmons & Matt Pledger/Simmons on two occasions).
The ITA also announced selections for the 2018 Saint Francis Health System/ITA All-American Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Tulsa in October for the 12th-straight year. Six Bulldogs are featured in the event, highlighted by Borges, Oradini and Rakic who have all earned automatic spots in the 64-player singles main draw. The tournament kicks off with pre-qualifying starting on Sept. 29. Qualifying matches run from Oct. 1-2, while the main draw is Oct. 4-8.
Braun earned a spot in the singles qualifying draw, while Foshey and Broska will open up in the pre-qualifying draw. In doubles, State's top-ranked duo of Borges and Rakic were one of two Bulldog tandems in the 32-team main draw in doubles. Braun and Oradini will join Borges and Rakic in that phase of the tournament to round out MSU's selections.
In addition to Borges' run to the singles semifinals last spring, he and Rakic had the best performance by an MSU pair in the NCAA Doubles Championship since 2000 - reaching the quarterfinals - while Oradini reached the Round of 16 of singles.
Up Next For MSU …
Borges opens up his fall slate on Saturday at the ATP Challenger Tour tournament in Columbus, Ohio, while his teammates will open up their fall competition the following weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Columbia, South Carolina.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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