Bulldogs Land ITA Preseason Rankings
September 17, 2019 | Men's Tennis
by Graham Murphree, Student Assistant/Communications
STARKVILLE - After a season that saw the Mississippi State men's tennis team reach the NCAA round of 16 for the 14th time in program history - and the third time in the last four years - two Bulldogs found themselves in the 2019-20 Oracle ITA preseason national rankings, released Tuesday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Senior Giovanni Oradini will start the year off in the ITA Top 25 in singles while, in doubles, Oradini joins fellow Italian Davide Tortora among the nation's Top 35.
State's lone senior in 2019-20, Oradini came in at No. 24 in Tuesday's singles poll. The Rovereto, Italy, native finished last year by making a remarkable run to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship as an unseeded player. A two-time ITA All-American in singles, he finished last year with a 21-13 singles record, manning the No. 2 spot for State. For his career, he is 68-33 overall in singles action.
In addition to his singles ranking, Oradini found himself once again ranked in the ITA doubles rankings, tied for 32nd with the true freshman Tortora. The senior Oradini reached a career high of No. 3 nationally last season in doubles with the now-graduated Niclas Braun, as the All-American tandem advanced to the NCAA Doubles semifinals and posted a remarkable 32-8 overall record together. The rookie Tortora reached a career high of No. 71 in his ITF Junior years. He also won a G1 & G5Â title in doubles, while going 35-24 in his doubles career as a junior.
Up Next for MSU…
The Bulldogs now prepare for action in two different events this weekend (Sept. 20-22). Florian Broska and Davide Tortora will compete in the Duke Bonk Invitational in Durham, North Carolina, while Giovanni Oradini and Nicolas Ocana will travel to the 44th Milwaukee Tennis Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
