Mississippi State
Tulane
No. 24 State Secures Fourth-Straight Win
February 25, 2024 | Men's Tennis
NEW ORLEANS – No. 24 Mississippi State will head into SEC play riding a four-match winning streak.
Playing in their first match in 14 days, the Bulldogs reeled off four-straight singles wins to secure a 4-3 victory at Tulane on Sunday afternoon and improve to 8-3 on the year.
"Today was gritty from the guys on all three doubles courts and all six in our singles lineup," said assistant coach Jake Jacoby. "It was great to see the collective focus and fight after two weeks without a match and in our first outdoor match of the year."
The doubles point was tightly contested and came down to a tiebreaker on the final court. Tulane took the first match as Benji Jacobson and Billy Suarez defeated Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic 6-4. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes and Nemanja Malesevic were able to even things up for the Bulldogs as they downed Luka Petrovic and Sam Schrer in a tiebreaker 7-6(3).
No. 42 Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez went to the wire with Alex Bancila and Luc Hoeijmans but were edged in a tiebreaker 7-6(7).
The early setback did little to deter MSU once the match switched over to singles. Sanchez Martinez started turning the momentum with his emphatic 6-1, 6-2 victory against Hoeijmans. Jovanovic, ranked 23rd in singles, quickly followed suit by beating Bancila 6-4, 6-3.
Hernandez pulled the Bulldogs one point away from victory with a 6-1, 6-3 showing against Petrovic and continues to top the Bulldogs with a 8-1 singles record during dual match play. No. 95 Malesevic clinched the match for State as he surged past Suarez 6-2, 7-6(5). It was the second-straight match Malesevic has clinched and his team-leading third this season.
Tulane (2-7) was able to take the remaining two courts as the match was played out. Rafael de Alba won 7-6(4), 6-3 over Ferrer Guimaraes while Fynn Kuenkler narrowly defeated Dusan Milanovic 7-6(2), 5-7, 1-0[10].
"Tulane always battles well, so we knew it wouldn't be easy today," Jacoby said. "We learned a lot on every court in singles and doubles and excited for the work this week ahead heading into SEC play."
Mississippi State will open conference play at home next Sunday hosting No. 40 Georgia at 1 p.m.
Mississippi State 4, Tulane 3City Park Tennis Center | New Orleans, La.
Feb. 25, 2024
Doubles
1. Alex Bancila/Luc Hoeijmans (TUL) def. No. 42 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 7-6(7)
2. Benji Jacobson/Billy Suarez (TUL) def. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 6-4
3. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes/Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. Luka Petrovic/Sam Schrer (TUL) 7-6(3)
Order of finish: (2,3,1)
Singles
1. No. 95 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. Billy Suarez (TUL) 6-2, 7-6(5)
2. No. 23 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Alex Bancila (TUL) 6-4, 6-3
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. Luka Petrovic (TUL) 6-1, 6-3
4. Fynn Kuenkler (TUL) def. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 7-6(2), 5-7, 1-0[10]
5. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Luc Hoeijmans (TUL) 6-1, 6-2
6. Rafael de Alba (TUL) 6-7(4), 3-6 def. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) 7-6(4), 6-3
Order of finish: (5,2,3,1,6,4)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
