No. 21 MSU Falls In ITA Kickoff Final

Sunday, January 30

Starkville

1 p.m.

Mississippi State

Kentucky

Photo by: Sloane Bush/MSU Athletics

No. 21 MSU Falls In ITA Kickoff Final

January 30, 2022 | Men's Tennis

Photo Gallery

By: Logan Lowery, Assistant Director/Communications

STARKVILLE – No. 21 Mississippi State men's tennis missed out on its initial opportunity at a championship on Sunday.

The Bulldogs (3-1) dropped a hard-fought battle against 11^th-ranked Kentucky 4-2 in the championship game of the ITA Kickoff inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.

MSU started the day strong with a pair of doubles victories to earn the first team point. Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler claimed the first win by defeating the UK duo of Liam Draxl and Millen Hurrion, 6-4.

The Bulldog tandem of Nemanja Malesevic and Davide Tortora quickly followed suit, knocking off the nation's No. 34 team of Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer, 6-4.

But the Wildcats were able to climb back into the fight during singles play with their lineup featuring four ranked players plus two others that were ranked in the top 32 last season.

State's lone singles victory came from No. 22 Broska, who took down the 2021 ITA National Player of the Year Liam Draxl in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. It was Broska's eighth-consecutive singles victory dating back to the fall.

After defeating No. 25 Aleksa Bucan of Arkansas on Saturday, Carles Hernandez had another ranked opponent in his sights on Sunday only to have his match abandoned when the Wildcats clinched. Hernandez won the first set over fourth-ranked Gabriel Diallo 6-4 and was ahead 2-1 in the third set when the match was called.

"There are a lot of positive takeaways from the match today," said head coach Matt Roberts. "Our doubles are coming along nicely with all three courts showing improvement from last weekend. I am also pleased with how our team is coming together on and off the court. We are showing our team's resiliency when matches enter tough moments."

The Wildcats (6-0) advance on to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship in Seattle, Washington next month.

MSU continues its homestand with a doubleheader on Thursday hosting Memphis at noon and North Alabama at 4 p.m.

"We want to thank the fans for coming out and showing support for these young men," Roberts said. "Their support and energy made Rula a special place to play this weekend and we are very blessed to have the facilities that we have here at Mississippi State University."

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

No. 11 Kentucky 4, No. 21 Mississippi State 2
Jan. 30, 2022
Starkville, Miss. – Rula Tennis Pavilion

Doubles
1. Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. Liam Draxl/Millen Hurrion (UK) 6-3
2. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MSU) def. #34 Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) 6-4
3. Alberto Colas/Carles Hernandez (MSU) vs. Francois Musitelli/Yasha Zemel (UK) 4-5, unfinished
Order of finish: (1,2)

Singles
1. #22 Florian Broska (MSU) def. Liam Draxl (UK) 6-4, 6-2
2. Millen Hurrion (UK) def. Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) vs. #4 Gabriel Diallo (UK) 6-4, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
4. #45 Francois Musitelli (UK) def. Bautista Vilicich (MSU) 6-0, 6-3
5. #90 Joshua Lapadat (UK) def. Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
6. #122 Yasha Zemel (UK) def. Davide Tortora (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
Order of finish: (4,1,6,5,2)