Friday, March 25
Starkville
3 p.m.
Mississippi State
5
vs
0
Alabama
Photo by: Sarah Triplett/MSU Athletics
Bulldogs Blank Alabama 5-0 In Men's Tennis
March 25, 2022 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – After claiming an incredibly tight doubles point, Mississippi State's men's tennis team suddenly found themselves down five first sets in singles play against Alabama.
But the 33rd-ranked Bulldogs proved their resiliency and battled back to blank their Crimson Tide counterparts 5-0 on Friday afternoon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
"When you've played the toughest schedule and the toughest teams in the SEC, confidence doesn't come easy," said head coach Matt Roberts. "But we knew if we could just stay close as a team, trust in each other and push each other we could have a lot that can come from that.
"I thought we stayed patient and were mentally calm and tough today. We knew if we could just play tough point after tough point that we were going to give ourselves good chances. It was really good to see the whole team do that and gives us a lot to build from."
MSU (12-8, 2-5 SEC) split the first two doubles matches as Nemanja Malesevic and Davide Tortora claimed a 6-3 win over Patrick Kaukovalta and Juan Martin before Alberto Colas and Carles Hernandez fell to Alabama's Enzo Aguiard and Joao Ferreira 6-3.
But Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler were able to preserve the point for the Bulldogs by rallying over the 44th-ranked tandem of Filip Planinsek and German Samofalov 6-4.
"Going up 1-0 going into singles is very nice," Broska said. "It makes us way more comfortable playing. Coach had already told us that doubles was their strongest spot so once we had the doubles point, it gave us a lot of confidence that today was going to be a good day."
Alabama, however, would not go back to Tuscaloosa quietly. The Tide claimed five first sets once singles play started and all six matches were in their third set when play was suspended.
Colas was the lone Bulldog to take his first set, winning it 6-2 over Ferreira. After dropping the second set 7-5, Colas finished off Ferreira 6-1 in the final set to take a 2-0 lead.
Broska fought back on Court 1 after losing his first set to 112th-ranked Filip Planinsek 6-3. The No. 39 singles competitor from Germany took the second set 6-3 then outlasted Planinsek 7-6(4) in a final set tiebreaker.
"I didn't start off very good," Broska said. "I was kind of all over the place, mentally and with my strokes. So in the second set, I kind of settled down much better. I definitely made him play my tennis. I'm very happy, especially winning 7-6 in the third (set) because that's all about managing your head."
The win was Broska's team-leading sixth victory over a ranked opponent this spring.
Hernandez clinched the match with back-to-back 6-3 sets to defeat Samofalov after falling in the first set 6-2. It was the second time Hernandez has clinched a match this spring.
Malesevic finished out the fifth and final point with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Aguiard. Malesevic has now won five of his last six singles matches and improved to 15-4 during dual match play.
State has now won 12 of its last 13 matches against the Crimson Tide dating back to 2011. With the loss, Alabama fell to 5-13 overall and 0-5 in the league.
The Bulldogs are back on the road next Friday for the fifth away trip in their last six matches as they meet Auburn on the Plains at 1 p.m.
No. 33 Mississippi State 5, Alabama 0
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
March 25, 2022
Doubles
1. Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. #44 Filip Planinsek/German Samofalov (UA) 6-4
2. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MSU) def. Patrick Kaukovalta/Juan Martin (UA) 6-3
3. Enzo Aguiard/Joao Ferreira (UA) def. Alberto Colas/Carles Hernandez (MSU) 6-3
Order of finish: (3,2,1)
Singles
1. #39 Florian Broska (MSU) def. #112 Filip Planinsek (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
2. #72 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. Enzo Aguiard (UA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. German Samofalov (UA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) vs. Juan Martin (UA) 5-7, 6-5, unfinished
5. Alberto Colas (MSU) def. Joao Ferreira (UA) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
6. Davide Tortora (MSU) vs. Zach Foster (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: (5,1,3,2)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
But the 33rd-ranked Bulldogs proved their resiliency and battled back to blank their Crimson Tide counterparts 5-0 on Friday afternoon at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
"When you've played the toughest schedule and the toughest teams in the SEC, confidence doesn't come easy," said head coach Matt Roberts. "But we knew if we could just stay close as a team, trust in each other and push each other we could have a lot that can come from that.
"I thought we stayed patient and were mentally calm and tough today. We knew if we could just play tough point after tough point that we were going to give ourselves good chances. It was really good to see the whole team do that and gives us a lot to build from."
MSU (12-8, 2-5 SEC) split the first two doubles matches as Nemanja Malesevic and Davide Tortora claimed a 6-3 win over Patrick Kaukovalta and Juan Martin before Alberto Colas and Carles Hernandez fell to Alabama's Enzo Aguiard and Joao Ferreira 6-3.
But Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler were able to preserve the point for the Bulldogs by rallying over the 44th-ranked tandem of Filip Planinsek and German Samofalov 6-4.
"Going up 1-0 going into singles is very nice," Broska said. "It makes us way more comfortable playing. Coach had already told us that doubles was their strongest spot so once we had the doubles point, it gave us a lot of confidence that today was going to be a good day."
Alabama, however, would not go back to Tuscaloosa quietly. The Tide claimed five first sets once singles play started and all six matches were in their third set when play was suspended.
Colas was the lone Bulldog to take his first set, winning it 6-2 over Ferreira. After dropping the second set 7-5, Colas finished off Ferreira 6-1 in the final set to take a 2-0 lead.
Broska fought back on Court 1 after losing his first set to 112th-ranked Filip Planinsek 6-3. The No. 39 singles competitor from Germany took the second set 6-3 then outlasted Planinsek 7-6(4) in a final set tiebreaker.
"I didn't start off very good," Broska said. "I was kind of all over the place, mentally and with my strokes. So in the second set, I kind of settled down much better. I definitely made him play my tennis. I'm very happy, especially winning 7-6 in the third (set) because that's all about managing your head."
The win was Broska's team-leading sixth victory over a ranked opponent this spring.
Hernandez clinched the match with back-to-back 6-3 sets to defeat Samofalov after falling in the first set 6-2. It was the second time Hernandez has clinched a match this spring.
Malesevic finished out the fifth and final point with a 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Aguiard. Malesevic has now won five of his last six singles matches and improved to 15-4 during dual match play.
State has now won 12 of its last 13 matches against the Crimson Tide dating back to 2011. With the loss, Alabama fell to 5-13 overall and 0-5 in the league.
The Bulldogs are back on the road next Friday for the fifth away trip in their last six matches as they meet Auburn on the Plains at 1 p.m.
No. 33 Mississippi State 5, Alabama 0
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
March 25, 2022
Doubles
1. Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) def. #44 Filip Planinsek/German Samofalov (UA) 6-4
2. Nemanja Malesevic/Davide Tortora (MSU) def. Patrick Kaukovalta/Juan Martin (UA) 6-3
3. Enzo Aguiard/Joao Ferreira (UA) def. Alberto Colas/Carles Hernandez (MSU) 6-3
Order of finish: (3,2,1)
Singles
1. #39 Florian Broska (MSU) def. #112 Filip Planinsek (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4)
2. #72 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. Enzo Aguiard (UA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. German Samofalov (UA) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
4. Gregor Ramskogler (MSU) vs. Juan Martin (UA) 5-7, 6-5, unfinished
5. Alberto Colas (MSU) def. Joao Ferreira (UA) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1
6. Davide Tortora (MSU) vs. Zach Foster (UA) 3-6, 6-3, 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: (5,1,3,2)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
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/ Men's Tennis
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