Men's Tennis Opens 99th Season With Doubleheader

Sunday, January 23

Starkville

12 p.m.

Mississippi State

Middle Tennessee

Photo by: Chamberlain Smith/MSU Athletics

Men's Tennis Opens 99th Season With Doubleheader

January 22, 2022 | Men's Tennis

Match Day Guide (PDF)Live Video/ Stats

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 21 Mississippi State embarks on its 99^th season of men's tennis on Sunday with a doubleheader against Middle Tennessee and UAB inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.

The Bulldogs, who had their first three matches postponed last weekend due to COVID-19, begin the 2022 campaign against the Blue Raiders at noon followed by a match against the Blazers at 4 p.m.

MSU has won nine of its last 10 season openers and posted a 76-13 record under eighth-year head coach Matt Roberts. The Bulldogs have appeared in the last 10 NCAA Championships and have at least advanced to the Round of 16 during their past three trips to the postseason.

Mississippi State returns seven players from last year's 15^th-ranked squad that finished 18-10 including second team All-Southeastern Conference selection Florian Broska and 2021 ITA Southern Region Rookie of the Year Nemanja Malesevic.

Broska enters the 2022 season with a career-best No. 22 singles ranking and closed out the fall by winning the GT Invite hosted by Georgia Tech.

Sunday will also mark the collegiate debut of Bautista Vilicich. The true freshman from Argentina joined the MSU roster earlier this month.

Mississippi State has found past success against both Middle Tennessee State and UAB. The Bulldogs are a combined 48-3 all-time against the Blue Raiders and Blazers.

Like MSU, Sunday will mark the season debut for UAB. Middle Tennessee has started the year off 4-0 with four straight shutouts at home over Southern Miss, Tennessee State, North Alabama and Butler.

The Blue Raiders feature three ranked singles competitors – Stijn Slump (30), Francisco Rocha (82) and Stepan Holis (106) – along with the nation's No. 44 doubles tandem of Slump and Pavel Motl.

2022 MSU Tennis COVID/Attendance Protocols
In accordance with Mississippi State University's indoor mask requirement announced on Jan. 7, all individuals must wear face coverings inside all university buildings, including athletic facilities effective Jan. 10 through Feb. 1. The requirement applies to all fans attending basketball games at Humphrey Coliseum and tennis matches at the Rula Indoor Pavilion except while actively eating or drinking.

For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.