Friday, March 1
Starkville
3:00 PM
Mississippi State
7
vs
0
Vanderbilt
MSU's Nuno Borges claimed his 100th career singles victory on Friday vs. Vanderbilt.
Photo by: Trevor Birchett/MSU Athletics
No. 8 MSU Sweeps No. 27 Commodores To Open SEC Play
March 01, 2019 | Men's Tennis
by Caleb Garner, Graduate Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE – Riding a 19-match home winning streak into SEC play, No. 8 Mississippi State extended that run to 20 in sweeping fashion Friday, blanking No. 27 Vanderbilt 7-0 in the 2019 conference opener for both teams.
The Bulldogs (9-2, 1-0 SEC) also won their 10th straight home match in league play and have won four straight against the Commdores (10-3, 0-1). In SEC openers, MSU has won three in a row and eight of its last nine. Under Matt Roberts, State is now 5-0 in SEC home openers.
"We respect Vanderbilt a lot," Roberts said. "They're well-coached and are always tough. We know not to look at rankings much, because everyone in the SEC is good. I thought we came out a little slow in doubles on two courts, but I was really happy to see how Nuno and Strahinja made a big push on court 1 and to see us get back in our matches on 2 and 3. I was excited to see the guys respond to that slower start by bouncing back and having a really good start in singles."
The Commodores gave the Bulldogs a tight battle in doubles, up a break on courts two and three at one point. State's sixth-ranked duo of Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini rallied from an early break down to eventually give the Bulldogs an early advantage with a 6-3 victory on court 2 against VU's Adam Sraberg and Christiaan Worst.
Moments later, the Commodores evened up the count on court 3 when Marcus Ferreira and George Harwell upended MSU's Trevor Foshey and Gregor Ramskogler 6-4, once again making court 1 the point-deciding match.
There, the 11th-ranked Bulldog duo of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic continue their winning ways, taking a 6-4 triumph over No. 52 Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe to win their third straight match and give MSU a 1-0 lead going into singles.
The Bulldogs continued that momentum, taking four of six first sets. On court 1, the third-ranked Borges quickly put MSU up 2-0 with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory against Klinger. The All-American senior's win marked his 100th career singles victory at MSU, putting him in elite company as one of just four players in program history to win 100 or more singles matches joining Bulldog greats Mark Jeffrey, Mihnea Nastase and Thomas Dupré. The two-time reigning SEC Player of the Year has won nine straight in dual match play.
"I thought we had a little bit of a slow start in doubles, but we learned from that and started very sharp in singles," Borges said. "We stayed very strong throughout the match and it showed in our result."
MSU moved to a 3-0 advantage when MSU's 82nd-ranked Braun took a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Rowe on court 4, moments before the 80th-ranked Oradini clinched the win for the Bulldogs with a 6-2, 7-6(3) triumph over VU's Harwell on court 2.
With the team victory on the board, the remaining three matches were played out, with two going into 10-point match tiebreakers in lieu of third sets.
On court 3, State's Rakic moved back into the win column, battling back from a set down to take a hard-fought 6-4, 6-0, 7-5 win against Vandy's Macsen Sisam. Rakic claimed nine straight games to force the third set and then go on to take a 3-0 lead in the final stanza before holding off a rally from Sisam down the stretch.
In the first of two 10-point tiebreakers, the Bulldog senior Foshey rallied from down 8-4 in the breaker to win the final six points and claim a 5-7, 6-4, 1-0(8) victory from Commodore Panu Virtanen on court 5.
On court 6, MSU's Florian Broska completed the Bulldog sweep to open conference play, taking a 7-6(5), 5-7, 1-0(7) triumph against Ferreira in an exciting match that featured a pair of tiebreakers.
The win marked the first time that MSU has swept an opponent to open league action since 2015 and was the first shutout against the Commodores since 2010.
Next Up For MSU …
MSU will continue its brief home stint to open SEC play on Saturday, taking on Kentucky at 3 p.m. The match, originally scheduled for Sunday, was moved up due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. Admission to the match is free, with a limited amount of "Game. Set. Match" t-shirts being given away.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 8 Mississippi State 7, No. 27 Vanderbilt 0
March 1, 2019
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. #11 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #52 Cameron Klinger/Billy Rowe (VU) 6-4
2. #6 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Adam Sraberg/Christiaan Worst (VU) 6-3
3. Marcus Ferreira/George Harwell (VU) def. Trevor Foshey/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 2,3,1
Singles
1. #3 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Cameron Klinger (VU) 6-0, 6-1
2. #80 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. George Harwell (VU) 6-2, 7-6(3)
3. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Macsen Sisam (VU) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
4. #82 Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Billy Rowe (VU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Panu Virtanen (VU) 5-7, 6-4, 1-0(8)
6. Florian Broska (MSU) def. Marcus Ferreira (VU) 7-6(5), 5-7, 1-0(7)
Order of finish: 1,4,2,3,5,6
STARKVILLE – Riding a 19-match home winning streak into SEC play, No. 8 Mississippi State extended that run to 20 in sweeping fashion Friday, blanking No. 27 Vanderbilt 7-0 in the 2019 conference opener for both teams.
The Bulldogs (9-2, 1-0 SEC) also won their 10th straight home match in league play and have won four straight against the Commdores (10-3, 0-1). In SEC openers, MSU has won three in a row and eight of its last nine. Under Matt Roberts, State is now 5-0 in SEC home openers.
"We respect Vanderbilt a lot," Roberts said. "They're well-coached and are always tough. We know not to look at rankings much, because everyone in the SEC is good. I thought we came out a little slow in doubles on two courts, but I was really happy to see how Nuno and Strahinja made a big push on court 1 and to see us get back in our matches on 2 and 3. I was excited to see the guys respond to that slower start by bouncing back and having a really good start in singles."
The Commodores gave the Bulldogs a tight battle in doubles, up a break on courts two and three at one point. State's sixth-ranked duo of Niclas Braun and Giovanni Oradini rallied from an early break down to eventually give the Bulldogs an early advantage with a 6-3 victory on court 2 against VU's Adam Sraberg and Christiaan Worst.
Moments later, the Commodores evened up the count on court 3 when Marcus Ferreira and George Harwell upended MSU's Trevor Foshey and Gregor Ramskogler 6-4, once again making court 1 the point-deciding match.
There, the 11th-ranked Bulldog duo of Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic continue their winning ways, taking a 6-4 triumph over No. 52 Cameron Klinger and Billy Rowe to win their third straight match and give MSU a 1-0 lead going into singles.
The Bulldogs continued that momentum, taking four of six first sets. On court 1, the third-ranked Borges quickly put MSU up 2-0 with a dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory against Klinger. The All-American senior's win marked his 100th career singles victory at MSU, putting him in elite company as one of just four players in program history to win 100 or more singles matches joining Bulldog greats Mark Jeffrey, Mihnea Nastase and Thomas Dupré. The two-time reigning SEC Player of the Year has won nine straight in dual match play.
"I thought we had a little bit of a slow start in doubles, but we learned from that and started very sharp in singles," Borges said. "We stayed very strong throughout the match and it showed in our result."
MSU moved to a 3-0 advantage when MSU's 82nd-ranked Braun took a 6-2, 6-4 victory against Rowe on court 4, moments before the 80th-ranked Oradini clinched the win for the Bulldogs with a 6-2, 7-6(3) triumph over VU's Harwell on court 2.
With the team victory on the board, the remaining three matches were played out, with two going into 10-point match tiebreakers in lieu of third sets.
On court 3, State's Rakic moved back into the win column, battling back from a set down to take a hard-fought 6-4, 6-0, 7-5 win against Vandy's Macsen Sisam. Rakic claimed nine straight games to force the third set and then go on to take a 3-0 lead in the final stanza before holding off a rally from Sisam down the stretch.
In the first of two 10-point tiebreakers, the Bulldog senior Foshey rallied from down 8-4 in the breaker to win the final six points and claim a 5-7, 6-4, 1-0(8) victory from Commodore Panu Virtanen on court 5.
On court 6, MSU's Florian Broska completed the Bulldog sweep to open conference play, taking a 7-6(5), 5-7, 1-0(7) triumph against Ferreira in an exciting match that featured a pair of tiebreakers.
The win marked the first time that MSU has swept an opponent to open league action since 2015 and was the first shutout against the Commodores since 2010.
Next Up For MSU …
MSU will continue its brief home stint to open SEC play on Saturday, taking on Kentucky at 3 p.m. The match, originally scheduled for Sunday, was moved up due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday. Admission to the match is free, with a limited amount of "Game. Set. Match" t-shirts being given away.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 8 Mississippi State 7, No. 27 Vanderbilt 0
March 1, 2019
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre – Starkville, Miss.
Doubles
1. #11 Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. #52 Cameron Klinger/Billy Rowe (VU) 6-4
2. #6 Niclas Braun/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Adam Sraberg/Christiaan Worst (VU) 6-3
3. Marcus Ferreira/George Harwell (VU) def. Trevor Foshey/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) 6-4
Order of finish: 2,3,1
Singles
1. #3 Nuno Borges (MSU) def. Cameron Klinger (VU) 6-0, 6-1
2. #80 Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. George Harwell (VU) 6-2, 7-6(3)
3. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) def. Macsen Sisam (VU) 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
4. #82 Niclas Braun (MSU) def. Billy Rowe (VU) 6-2, 6-4
5. Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. Panu Virtanen (VU) 5-7, 6-4, 1-0(8)
6. Florian Broska (MSU) def. Marcus Ferreira (VU) 7-6(5), 5-7, 1-0(7)
Order of finish: 1,4,2,3,5,6
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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