Mississippi State
Arkansas
No. 15 Bulldogs Sweep No. 39 Razorbacks 4-0 In Regular Season Home Finale
April 07, 2021 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – In its final home match of the regular season, the 15th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team swept No. 39 Arkansas 4-0 in an afternoon showdown at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre Wednesday.
With the victory, State improved to 14-7, 4-6 in the SEC, while Arkansas fell to 9-11, 3-7 in SEC play. The Razorbacks were coming off a 4-3 upset of No. 3 Tennessee on Sunday in Fayetteville. The Maroon and White has now claimed the last 13 meetings between the teams, a streak that started in 2009.
The Bulldogs would grind out a fierce battle between the teams for the opening doubles point to start things off. Court 2 would finish first, where the Razorback duo of Adrian Burdet and Melvin Manuel downed the Bulldog team of Nemanja Malesevic and Davide Tortora 6-2. Evening things up for the Bulldogs would be court 1, where the No. 52-ranked tandem of Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler upended Arkansas' 38th-ranked pair of Hunter Harrison and Enrique Paya by a 6-4 margin. Giving the Bulldogs the early 1-0 lead in a thrilling battle was Nicolas Ocana and Giovanni Oradini at the No. 3 position. Down 5-4 and a service break, they then broke the Razorback duo of Alex Reco and Nico Rousset to go on a claim a 7-5 decision.
With all the momentum in its favor heading into singles, State secured the opening set on all six courts to keep in charge of the match. State would end up taking the first three courts complete to clinch the match 4-0.
First to finish was court 2, where MSU's 45th-ranked Broska cruised over Arkansas' Rousset 6-4, 6-2. Extending the Bulldog lead to 3-0 on the day was the 51st-ranked Oradini who held off a second-set challenge from Razorback Maxim Verboven at No. 1 in a 6-0, 7-5 decision. Clinching the match for State was the 71st-ranked rookie Malesevic, who grinded out a 6-4, 6-4 victory over the Razorbacks' Burdet.
The remaining three courts were suspended at the time of the clinch.
Bulldog Alberto Colas led 6-3, 5-4 on court 3 over Arkansas' Bucan. State's Hernandez was up a set at 6-4, 3-4 against UA's Manuel on court 5. At the No. 6 spot, MSU's Ramskogler led 6-3, 5-4 over the Razorbacks' Paya.
Next upon on the slate, the Bulldogs will close out the 2021 regular season with a pair of road contests this weekend. MSU will travel to Vanderbilt this Friday, April 9, for a 2 p.m. CT showdown before heading to Lexington, Ky., to meet No. 17 Kentucky this Sunday, April 11, in a 12 p.m. CT battle with the Wildcats.
No. 15 Mississippi State 4, No. 39 Arkansas 0
April 7, 2021
Starkville, Miss. – A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
Doubles
1. #52 Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. #38 Hunter Harrison/Enrique Paya (ARK) 6-4
2. Adrian Burdet/Melvin Manuel (ARK) def. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MSU) 6-2
3. Nicolas Ocana/Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Alex Reco/Nico Rousset (ARK)
Order of finish: 2,1,3
Singles
1. #51 Giovanni Oradini (MSU def. Maxim Verboven (ARK) 6-0, 7-5
2. #45 Florian Broska (MSU) def. Nico Rousset (ARK) 6-4, 6-2
3. Alberto Colas (MSU) vs. Aleksa Bucan (ARK) 6-3, 5-4 (susp.)
4. #71 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. Adrian Burdet (ARK) 6-4, 6-4
5. Carles Hernandez (MSU) vs. Melvin Manuel (ARK) 6-4, 3-4 (susp.)
6. Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) vs. Enrique Paya (ARK) 6-3, 5-4 (susp.)
Order of finish: 2,1,4
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