Oradini Earns Third Career League Honor To Lead 2021 Bulldog All-SEC Honorees
April 29, 2021 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – With the postseason on the horizon, the Mississippi State men's tennis team has earned All-SEC awards once again with three Bulldogs earning all-league laurels, the conference office announced Friday.
Senior All-American Giovanni Oradini garnered his third career All-SEC award, being named to the league's Second Team. He was joined there by veteran Florian Broska while rookie Nemanja Malesevic earned a spot on the conference's All-Freshman team. All three Bulldogs have played a key role in MSU's success this season, putting 16th-ranked State in position for an expected 10th consecutive NCAA bid.
"It's truly an honor to compete in the best tennis conference in the country, especially in a unique season like this one," head coach Matt Roberts said. "For these three guys to earn these honors is a testament to their great work ethic and efforts throughout the year as a well as the commitment of our team as a whole this season to our goals."
Oradini's Second Team nod is the third All-SEC honor of his career, with the previous two having him named All-SEC First Team in both 2018 and 2019. During a solid year at the No. 1 singles position for State, the Rovereto, Italy, product went 11-10 in dual match play, going 4-7 in SEC competition this season. At present, Oradini is ranked 19th in the ITA national singles rankings with six ranked victories this spring – five in the top 50. In State's last outing, he upset Florida's third-ranked Duarte Vale for the highest ranked win of his stellar career in the Maroon and White. He currently stands seventh all-time in career singles wins at State with 93. Oradini was an NCAA Singles quarterfinalist in 2019 and also reached the Round of 16 in 2018, while advancing the NCAA Doubles semifinals in 2019 as well.
Broska's Second Team mention marks the first time of his career he has earned a spot on the league's First or Second Teams. A member of the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2018, Broska has worked year-in and year-out to reach this career milestone. Earning a career-high national singles ranking of No. 41 on April 14 (currently 48th), the Eitelborn, Germany, native has notched a 14-8 dual match mark in 2021, also going 4-7 in SEC competition this season while playing mainly at the No. 2 position for State. In doubles, Broska partners with Gregor Ramskogler and the top MSU tandem earned a career-best ranking of 15th in the country in this week's latest poll.
Malesevic earns the highest award of his young Bulldog career, joining the SEC's All-Freshman team. This season has been nothing short of excellent for the true freshman, going 15-7 in dual match play, including a team-leading 7-5 mark in SEC matches. Currently ranked 54th in the country in singles, the rookie leads the team in overall wins (34) in 2020-21. While posing a dominant threat in singles, the Bosnia native has also proven solid in doubles, notching 15 triumphs overall. He has played most of the dual match season with Davide Tortora, going 6-4.
Oradini, Broska, Malesevic and their Bulldog teammates will learn State's postseason destiny this Monday, May 3, when selections for the 2021 NCAA Team Championship are announced. State expects to earn an NCAA bid for the 10th consecutive season in which the tournament has been held (there was no postseason competition in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). MSU men's tennis has made 28 NCAA appearances all-time, entering the 2021 campaign.
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
2021 SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S TENNIS HONORS
First Team All-SEC
Edson Ortiz, Alabama
Tyler Stice, Auburn
Sam Riffice, Florida
Duarte Vale, Florida
Andy Andrade, Florida
Liam Draxl, Kentucky
Gabriel Diallo, Kentucky
Tim Sandkaulen, Ole Miss
Finn Reynolds, Ole Miss
Daniel Rodrigues, South Carolina
Connor Thomson, South Carolina
Johannus Monday, Tennessee
Adam Walton, Tennessee
Hady Habib, Texas A&M
Valentin Vacherot, Texas A&M
Second Team All-SEC
Blaise Bicknell, Florida
Trent Bryde, Georgia
Philip Henning, Georgia
Tyler Zink , Georgia
Millen Hurrion, Kentucky
Ronnie Hohmann, LSU
Nikola Slavic, Ole Miss
Giovanni Oradini, Mississippi State
Florian Broska, Mississippi State
Toby Samuel, South Carolina
Carlos Aguilar, Texas A&M
George Harwell, Vanderbilt
All-Freshman
Ben Shelton, Florida
John Hallquist Lithén, Ole Miss
Nemanja Malesevic, Mississippi State
Toby Samuel, South Carolina
Johannus Monday, Tennessee
Raphael Perot, Texas A&M
Player of the Year
Valentin Vacherot, Texas A&M
Freshman of the Year
Johannus Monday, Tennessee
Newcomer of the Year
Liam Draxl, Kentucky
Coach of the Year
Bryan Shelton, Florida
