Saturday, January 29
Starkville
1 p.m.
Mississippi State
4
vs
1
Arkansas
Photo by: Kevin Snyder/MSU Athletics
Bulldogs Beat Arkansas, Advance To ITA Kickoff Championship
January 29, 2022 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – No. 21 Mississippi State is moving on to the ITA Kickoff Championship following a 4-1 victory over Arkansas in front of another record crowd in the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Saturday.Â
The Bulldogs claimed the early doubles point then three of the first four singles matches to improve to 3-0 on the young season. MSU will meet 11th-ranked Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a berth in the National Team Indoor Championship in Seattle, Washington next month.
Carles Hernandez had a hand in clinching both matches for the Bulldogs. Hernandez teamed up with Alberto Colas for the first time since the fall and claimed a 7-5 win over former MSU transfer Hunter Harrison and his partner Jacob Sweeney.
Hernandez also took down No. 25 Aleksa Bucan in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-1 to earn the decisive fourth point to send the 229 fans on hand happy.
"I like those situations," Hernandez said. "I had a pretty good season last year and clinched a lot of matches. It honestly felt great to clinch for my team. It really doesn't matter who clinches, it's just a great win for our team."
Joining Hernandez and Colas with a doubles victory from the No. 2 position was Nemanja Malesevic and Davide Tortora. That duo defeated No. 60 Adrien Burdet and Melvin Manuel 6-4 to help State claim that crucial first point.
"I think us winning on two and three is going to give (Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler) a lot of confidence in our doubles and take a lot of pressure off of them moving forward," said head coach Matt Roberts. "Last year, we didn't win too many doubles points without our No. 1 (team) winning. It was a huge positive and great to see Alberto back in the doubles lineup."
In singles, Malesevic made short work of Nico Rousset 6-2, 6-2 before Broska earned his seventh consecutive win and second over a ranked opponent this spring. No. 22 Broska brought down No. 102 Alex Reco 7-6(3), 7-5 before Hernandez clinched things for the Bulldogs.
"Arkansas got on us early in singles but I was really proud of our guys for pushing back," Roberts said. "We were down 3-1 on a lot of courts and got it back on serve and made it really hard on Arkansas to get any momentum."
It was the first loss of the season for Arkansas, who fell to 5-1. The Razorbacks will face Alabama in a consolation match on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Crimson Tide were shutout by Kentucky 4-0 earlier on Saturday.
The Wildcats enter Sunday's ITA Kickoff Championship at 5-0 and feature four ranked singles competitors and a ranked doubles tandem.
"Getting to play Kentucky this early in the season is going to be great for our growth," Roberts said. "Whether we win or lose, it's going to give us a lot of confidence moving forward because looking at their lineup, it's definitely one of the top 10 teams in the country…But after today, I think our guys are feeling loose and feeling confident."
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
No. 21 Mississippi State 4, Arkansas 1
Jan. 29, 2022
Starkville, Miss. - Rula Tennis Pavilion
Doubles
1. Alex Reco/Nico Rousset (ARK) def. Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) 6-4
2. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MSU) def. #60 Adrien Burdet/Melvin Manuel (ARK) 6-4
3. Carles Hernandez/Alberto Colas (MSU) def. Hunter Harrison/Jacob Sweeney (ARK) 7-5
Order of finish: (2,1,3)
Singles
1. #22 Florian Broska (MSU) def. #102 Alex Reco (ARK) 7-6(3), 7-5
2. Nemanja Malesevic (MS) def. Nico Rousset (ARK) 6-2, 6-2
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. #25 Aleksa Bucan (ARK) 7-6(5), 6-1
4. Adrien Burdet (ARK) def. Bautista Vilicich (MSU) 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) vs. Melvin Manuel (ARK) 7-5, 5-7, 0-0, unfinished
6. Davide Tortora (MSU) vs. Riccardo Trione (ARK) 6-7(7), 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: (2,4,1,3)
The Bulldogs claimed the early doubles point then three of the first four singles matches to improve to 3-0 on the young season. MSU will meet 11th-ranked Kentucky on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a berth in the National Team Indoor Championship in Seattle, Washington next month.
Carles Hernandez had a hand in clinching both matches for the Bulldogs. Hernandez teamed up with Alberto Colas for the first time since the fall and claimed a 7-5 win over former MSU transfer Hunter Harrison and his partner Jacob Sweeney.
Hernandez also took down No. 25 Aleksa Bucan in straight sets 7-6(5), 6-1 to earn the decisive fourth point to send the 229 fans on hand happy.
"I like those situations," Hernandez said. "I had a pretty good season last year and clinched a lot of matches. It honestly felt great to clinch for my team. It really doesn't matter who clinches, it's just a great win for our team."
Joining Hernandez and Colas with a doubles victory from the No. 2 position was Nemanja Malesevic and Davide Tortora. That duo defeated No. 60 Adrien Burdet and Melvin Manuel 6-4 to help State claim that crucial first point.
"I think us winning on two and three is going to give (Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler) a lot of confidence in our doubles and take a lot of pressure off of them moving forward," said head coach Matt Roberts. "Last year, we didn't win too many doubles points without our No. 1 (team) winning. It was a huge positive and great to see Alberto back in the doubles lineup."
In singles, Malesevic made short work of Nico Rousset 6-2, 6-2 before Broska earned his seventh consecutive win and second over a ranked opponent this spring. No. 22 Broska brought down No. 102 Alex Reco 7-6(3), 7-5 before Hernandez clinched things for the Bulldogs.
"Arkansas got on us early in singles but I was really proud of our guys for pushing back," Roberts said. "We were down 3-1 on a lot of courts and got it back on serve and made it really hard on Arkansas to get any momentum."
It was the first loss of the season for Arkansas, who fell to 5-1. The Razorbacks will face Alabama in a consolation match on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Crimson Tide were shutout by Kentucky 4-0 earlier on Saturday.
The Wildcats enter Sunday's ITA Kickoff Championship at 5-0 and feature four ranked singles competitors and a ranked doubles tandem.
"Getting to play Kentucky this early in the season is going to be great for our growth," Roberts said. "Whether we win or lose, it's going to give us a lot of confidence moving forward because looking at their lineup, it's definitely one of the top 10 teams in the country…But after today, I think our guys are feeling loose and feeling confident."
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
No. 21 Mississippi State 4, Arkansas 1
Jan. 29, 2022
Starkville, Miss. - Rula Tennis Pavilion
Doubles
1. Alex Reco/Nico Rousset (ARK) def. Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) 6-4
2. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MSU) def. #60 Adrien Burdet/Melvin Manuel (ARK) 6-4
3. Carles Hernandez/Alberto Colas (MSU) def. Hunter Harrison/Jacob Sweeney (ARK) 7-5
Order of finish: (2,1,3)
Singles
1. #22 Florian Broska (MSU) def. #102 Alex Reco (ARK) 7-6(3), 7-5
2. Nemanja Malesevic (MS) def. Nico Rousset (ARK) 6-2, 6-2
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. #25 Aleksa Bucan (ARK) 7-6(5), 6-1
4. Adrien Burdet (ARK) def. Bautista Vilicich (MSU) 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) vs. Melvin Manuel (ARK) 7-5, 5-7, 0-0, unfinished
6. Davide Tortora (MSU) vs. Riccardo Trione (ARK) 6-7(7), 6-5, unfinished
Order of finish: (2,4,1,3)
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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