Four Tennis Bulldogs Tabbed All-SEC
April 27, 2023 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Four members of Mississippi State's 16th-ranked men's tennis team were honored by the Southeastern Conference on Thursday.
Carles Hernandez, Ewen Lumsden and Nemanja Malesevic were each selected second team All-SEC while Petar Jovanovic was tabbed to the SEC All-Freshman team. Only Georgia and Kentucky (five apiece) had more players picked for SEC honors than MSU.
Hernandez, currently ranked 117th nationally in singles, leads the Bulldogs with a 24-7 overall record. The junior from Crevillent, Spain went 18-5 during dual match play and is second on the team with six singles wins over ranked opponents. He also posted 13 doubles wins and is one-half of the No. 69 tandem in the country alongside Malesevic. That duo has clinched five doubles points and defeated four ranked foes.
Lumsden is ranked 106th in singles having earned an 18-6 mark during dual match play and is 22-8 overall. The graduate from Glasgow, Scotland has picked up a pair of ranked wins and knocked off four ranked opponents in singles this spring. He has also earned 10 victories in doubles – three of which clinched the doubles point for the Bulldogs – and defeated a pair of ranked duos.
It was the second conference honor of Lumsden's career. He also received an honorable mention from the PAC-12 in 2021 while at Washington.
Malesevic is State's highest-ranked singles competitor at No. 80 and has played exclusively at the No. 1 position in the lineup all season. The junior from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina is 16-14 overall and 12-9 in dual match play in singles this year. He leads the team with seven wins over ranked opponents and also has six match clinchers.
In doubles, Malesevic has 15 total victories. He also tops the Bulldogs with five ranked wins in doubles and has also clinched five doubles points.
Malesevic has been honored by the SEC every year of his career thus far. He was named to the All-Freshman team in 2021 followed by another second team selection last season.
Jovanovic was tabbed the SEC Freshman of the Week three times this season having posted a 24-10 overall record in singles and is currently ranked No. 123. The Podgorica, Montenegro native went on a 13-match winning streak in singles and is 18-8 during dual match play. He earned four victories against ranked foes and also clinched four matches for Mississippi State.
Jovanovic leads the team with 19 doubles wins on the year and has clinched five doubles points and defeated a pair of ranked opponents. He is the first Bulldog to be named to the All-Freshman team since Malesevic in 2021.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
