State Sweeps Top Three Singles Spots
October 21, 2024 | Men's Tennis
BATON ROUGE, La. – Mississippi State capped off a successful week at the ITA Southern Regional Championships on Monday with Bulldogs sweeping the top three spots in singles.
No. 12 Petar Jovanovic and No. 107 Benito Sanchez Martinez were crowned singles co-champions and both qualified for the NCAA Singles Tournament in Waco, Texas next month.
No. 60 Mario Martinez earned a third-place finish in singles at the ITA Southern Regional Championships after topping Blaydes 7-6(4), 6-3 on Monday afternoon.
It is the second consecutive season that both Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez have qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships. The MSU duo competed in doubles at that event while Jovanovic also played singles as well.
Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez, currently the top-ranked team in college tennis, came close to returning to the NCAA Doubles Championships but fell short in Monday's finals following a three-set battle with Billy Blaydes and William Nolan of Auburn. The Tiger tandem won a first-set tiebreaker 7-6(1) before the Jovanovic and Sanchez Maritnez bounced back for a 6-4 victory in the second. Blaydes and Nolan were able to outlast the Bulldogs' No. 1 duo 1-0[9] in a super tiebreaker to also punch their ticket to NCAAs.
State's next action will be in Atlanta for the GT Fall Invite from Nov. 1-3.
ITA Southern Regional ChampionshipsLSU Tennis Complex | Baton Rouge, La.
Oct. 21, 2024
Singles:
Main Draw Third Place Match
No. 60 Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) def. Billy Blaydes (Auburn): 7-6(4), 6-3
Doubles:
Main Draw Finals
Billy Blaydes/William Nolan (Auburn) def. No. 1 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU): 7-6(1), 4-6, 1-0[9]
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook. Â
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Players Mentioned
