State Women’s Tennis Sweeps Opening Day 2020

Friday, January 17

Birmingham, Ala.

11:00 AM

Mississippi State

Troy

State Women’s Tennis Sweeps Opening Day 2020

January 17, 2020 | Women's Tennis

by Mikaela Elizondo, Graduate Assistant/Communications

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mississippi State women's tennis kicked off the 2020 dual match season with a pair of victories over Troy and Samford Friday at the Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavillion on the Samford campus. MSU defeated Troy with a perfect 7-0 ledger, before posting a 5-2 triumph over Samford.

The victory over Troy marked the ninth-consecutive season-opening win for the Bulldogs and 10^th under 11^th-year head coach Daryl Greenan.

Match 1 – Mississippi State 7, Troy 0

In doubles against the Trojans, the 43^rd-ranked tandem of Magda Adaloglou and Tamara Racine defeated Chunxi Guo and Anastasiia Khokhlova by an impressive 6-0 ledger at No. 1. Sara Lizariturry and Meredith Roberts then came out victorious 6-3 over Anastasiia Khrustaleva and Tijana Svitlica on court 3 to clinch the doubles point for the Bulldogs. Emma Antonaki and Alexandra Mikhailuk – ranked 45^th nationally – led Shevita Aulana and Matea Mihaljevic 5-4 when their match was suspended.

State didn't take long to clinch the match as five Bulldogs recorded straight-set wins. At the top position, No. 84 Antonaki grabbed a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mihaljevic. Adaloglou won the first set over Khokhlova 6-1, before falling in a tiebreaker 7-6(5) in set two. The junior came back from a 3-0 deficit in the third frame to win the match at the No. 2 position 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5.

In the first singles dual match of her collegiate career, Mikhailuk put together an impressive 6-4, 6-2 defeat over Guo at No. 3. The senior Lizariturry picked up State's fifth point when her Troy opponent defaulted.

After redshirting due to injury last season, Bulldog freshman Valeria Nikolaev started off her dual match career on a high note as well with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Aulana in at the No. 4 spot. True freshman Marta Falceto, also debuting in dual match play, ousted the Trojans' Svitlica 6-1, 6-1 at No. 5.

Match 2 – Mississippi State 5, Samford 2

In the nightcap, State's performance mirrored the morning, as the Bulldogs earned a rapid doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Once again, Adaloglou and Racine kicked things off with a quick 6-3 triumph over Samford's Elsa Pool and Janse Van Rensburg at the top spot in the lineup. The freshman-senior duo of Falceto and Lizariturry then clinched the doubles point on a 6-4 decision to down Holly Horsfall and Cindy Oest. Antonaki and Mikhailuk led Arianna Beltrame and Natalia De Ugarte 5-3 when their match was suspended at No. 2.

In singles action, State earned four points to seal the deal. At the No. 2 position, Adaloglou fell to SU's Grace Jennings 6-4, 6-3. In her first singles dual match of the season, Racine grabbed the first singles point for State with a 6-3, 6-4 decision over De Ugarte on court 3. Mikhailuk recorded her second singles victory of the day, breezing past SU's Pool on court 4 6-2, 6-1.

The marquee match of the day at the No. 1 spot lived up to its billing. After falling in a tight 7-5 first set to Samford's Van Rensburg, MSU's Antonaki came back to win back-to-back sets in nailbiting tiebreakers to clinch the match for the Maroon and White. The sophomore fought off a match point in the final breaker to win the marathon battle 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-6(6).

SU's Beltrame then held off State's Nikolaev 1-6, 6-2, 1-0(9) at No. 5 for Samford's second and final point of the match.

The rookie Falceto added the last point for the Bulldogs, holding off SU's Horsfall 7-5, 7-6(6) on court 6, bringing the final margin to 5-2.

With the win, State remained perfect against Samford all-time with an 8-0 advantage, including 4-0 in Birmingham.

Looking to ride the momentum from their two Friday triumphs, the Bulldogs will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio, to face Xavier on Sunday, Jan. 19, in a 10 a.m. ET affair.

For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis team, visit HailState.com and follow "HailStateWT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Mississippi State 7, Troy 0
January 17, 2020
Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavillion – Birmingham, Ala.

Doubles
1. #43 Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Chunxi Guo/Anastasiia Khokhlova (Troy) 6-0
2. #45 Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) vs. Shevita Aulana/Matea Mihaljevic (Troy) 5-4, susp.
3. Sara Lizariturry/Meredith Roberts (MSU) def. Anastasiia Khrustaleva/Tijana Svitlica (Troy) 6-3
Order of finish: 1,3

Singles
1. #84 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. Matea Mihaljevic (Troy) 6-3, 6-3
2. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) def. Anastasiia Khokhlova (Troy) 6-1, 6-7(5), 7-5
3. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Chunxi Guo (Troy) 6-4, 6-2
4. Valeria Nikolaev (MSU) def. Shevita Aulana (Troy) 6-3, 6-2
5. Marta Falceto (MSU) def. Tijana Svitlica (Troy) 6-1, 6-1
6. Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Anastasiia Khrustaleva (Troy) by default
Order of finish: 1,3,2,6,4,5

Mississippi State 5, Samford 2
January 17, 2020
Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavillion – Birmingham, Ala.

Doubles
1. #43 Magda Adaloglou/Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Elsa Pool/Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg (SU) 6-3
2. #45 Emma Antonaki/Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) vs. Arianna Beltrame/Natalia De Ugarte (SU) 5-4, susp.
3. Marta Falceto/Sara Lizariturry (MSU) def. Holly Horsfall/Cindy Oest (SU) 6-4
Order of finish: 1,3

Singles
1. #84 Emma Antonaki (MSU) def. Rouxanne Janse Van Rensburg (SU) 5-7, 7-6(3), 7-6(6)
2. Grace Jennings (SU) def. Magda Adaloglou (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Tamara Racine (MSU) def. Natalia De Ugarte (SU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Elsa Pool (SU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Arianna Beltrame (SU) def. Valeria Nikolaev (MSU) 1-6, 6-2, 1-0(9)
6. Marta Falceto (MSU) def. Holly Horsfall (SU) 7-5, 7-6(6)
Order of finish: 2,3,4,1,5,6

Numbers preceding names indicate current ITA national rankings