Mississippi State
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North Florida
State Surges Past Ospreys In Singles
February 09, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Dropping the doubles point did little to deter Mississippi State during its match with North Florida on Friday evening.
In fact, the early deficit seemed to fuel the Bulldogs as they reeled off five consecutive wins to start singles to secure a 5-2 victory over the Ospreys inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.
"It's a mindset of embracing challenges and almost being excited about being down a doubles point or down a set," said assistant coach Jake Jacoby. "You have to embrace that, love that. It says a lot about this group. We've been through a lot of wars already in the young season. We've had some very close matches. We've been there and done that and those experiences are very invaluable."
The doubles point came down to the wire despite MSU (6-3) being without half of its 29th-ranked tandem, Benito Sanchez Martinez. His usual partner, Petar Jovanovic, teamed with Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes to take the first doubles match 6-2 over Spencer Dorosheff and PJ Kotan.
But No. 56 Rodrigo Crespo and Jonas Hartenstein pulled things even for UNF with a win over Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic 6-2. Breno Marques and Andreas Scott skirted by Marshall Landry and Nemanja Malesevic 7-5 to secure the point for the Ospreys.
The momentum of the match quickly shifted State's way in singles. Jovanovic, ranked 26th in the nation, earned a straight-set victory over Crespo 6-3, 6-2 and Ferrer Guimaraes gave the Bulldogs the lead with his 6-1, 6-2 showing against Chase Healey.
Milanovic continued the trend as he surged past Scott in consecutive 6-3 sets before Hernandez clinched things with his 6-4, 6-3 victory over Kotan. Hernandez has now won 11 of his last 12 singles matches dating back to last season and was the 13th match-clincher of his career.
"I just came into this season ready," Hernandez said. "I was injured during the fall and came into things attacking every practice. I've been feeling good at practice and applying what I've been doing at practice. My tennis is there. I'm a good competitor. Sometimes I play better than others, but I feel like I compete well every day."
Malesevic capped Mississippi State's near sweep in singles with a comeback win over former Bulldog Jonas Hartenstein 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Court 1. State's lone loss came following a three-set battle with Marques topping Radomir Tomic 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3.
North Florida (1-3) will play a neutral site match against VCU in the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Saturday at 1 p.m. MSU will host a rematch with the Rams on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Mississippi State 5, North Florida 2Rula Tennis Pavilion | Starkville, Miss.
Feb. 9, 2024
Doubles
1. No. 56 Rodrigo Crespo/Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) def. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 6-2
2. Breno Marques/Andreas Scott (UNF) def. Marshall Landry/Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 7-5
3. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes/Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Spencer Dorosheff/PJ Kotan (UNF) 6-2
Order of finish: (3,1,2)
Singles
1. Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. No. 26 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) 6-3, 6-2
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. PJ Kotan (UNF) 6-4, 6-3
4. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) def. Andreas Scott (UNF) 6-3, 6-3
5. Breno Marques (UNF) def. Radomir Tomic (MSU) 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Chase Healey (UNF) 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: (2,6,4,3,1,5)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
