No. 1 Jovanovic, Sanchez Martinez Reach NCAA Round Of 16
November 20, 2024 | Men's Tennis
WACO, Texas – The No. 1 doubles tandem in the nation will be moving on to the Round of 16 after a three-set thriller at the NCAA Individual Championships on Wednesday evening.
Mississippi State's top-ranked pairing of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez fell behind California's 13th-ranked duo of Alex Chang and Michael Wright following a hard-fought first set 4-6. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez settled in and secured a 6-2 victory in the second set and prevailed 1-0[5] in a third set super tiebreaker to secure their third ranked win of the fall and the 15th of their All-American doubles career together. Â
Next up for Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez will be a top 5 showdown against fourth-ranked Filippos Astreinidis and Paul Inchauspe of Princeton on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. with the winners securing All-American status.
Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez Serrano also made a bid to advance to the Round of 16 during their ranked doubles match on Wednesday afternoon. Baroni and Martinez Serrano also fell behind Indiana's 52nd-ranked Jip van Assendelft and Facundo Yunis 1-6 in the first set but evened things up with a 6-4 showing in the second. However, the Bulldog tandem fell short in a third set super tiebreaker 0-1[5], ending their fall.
NCAA Individual ChampionshipsHurd Tennis Center | Waco, Texas
Nov. 20, 2024
Doubles:
First Round
No. 1 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. No. 13 Alex Chang/Michael Wright (California): 4-6, 6-2, 1-0[5]
No. 52 Jip van Assendelft/ Facundo Yunis (Indiana) def. Niccolo Baroni/Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU): 6-1, 4-6, 1-0[5]
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
