Sunday, March 17
Starkville
1 p.m.
Mississippi State
2
vs
5
Kentucky
Photo by: Ivy Ball/MSU Athletics
Bulldogs Drop Top 15 Battle To Kentucky
March 17, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – No. 15 Mississippi State's bid for a third-consecutive ranked win was snapped by sixth-ranked Kentucky on Sunday.
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of wins to claim the doubles point and also saw No. 27 Petar Jovanovic earn his 21st singles win of the season but were unable to hand the Wildcats their first conference defeat in a 5-2 loss at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The afternoon started strong for State's 35th-ranked tandem of Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez as they topped No. 13 Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer 6-3 to begin the match. It was the fifth ranked win for Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez as a team and the second-highest doubles win of their careers.
UK's Eli Stephenson and and Jaden Weekes evened things with a 6-4 win against Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic leaving Court 3 to decide which team won the doubles point.
The Bulldog duo of Nemanja Malesevic and Michal Novansky answered the challenge by outlasting Jack Loutit and Matt Rankin 7-5 to claim the early momentum.
The Wildcats won the first two singles decisions, but Jovanovic was able to knot the score once more at 2-2 with his straight-set victory over Lapadat 6-3, 6-1. But that is as close as Mississippi State would get as Kentucky took the final three courts to improve to 5-0 in the SEC and 14-2 overall.
Matt Roberts' Bulldogs (11-5, 3-2 SEC) are back out on the road next weekend beginning with a battle at 16th-ranked South Carolina on Friday at 4 p.m. CT.
No. 6 Kentucky 5, No. 15 Mississippi State 2
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
March 17, 2024
Doubles
1. No. 35 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. No. 13 Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) 6-3
2. Eli Stephenson/Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 6-4
3. Nemanja Malesevic/Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Jack Loutit/Matt Rankin (UK) 7-5
Order of finish: (1,2,3)
Singles
1. No. 21 Taha Baadi (UK) def. Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. No. 27 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-3, 6-1
3. Jaden Weekes (UK) def. No. 121 Carles Hernandez (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Jack Loutit (UK) def. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 5-7, 7-6(5), 1-0[7]
6. Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Radomir Tomic (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: (3,6,2,1,4,5)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of wins to claim the doubles point and also saw No. 27 Petar Jovanovic earn his 21st singles win of the season but were unable to hand the Wildcats their first conference defeat in a 5-2 loss at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The afternoon started strong for State's 35th-ranked tandem of Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez as they topped No. 13 Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer 6-3 to begin the match. It was the fifth ranked win for Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez as a team and the second-highest doubles win of their careers.
UK's Eli Stephenson and and Jaden Weekes evened things with a 6-4 win against Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic leaving Court 3 to decide which team won the doubles point.
The Bulldog duo of Nemanja Malesevic and Michal Novansky answered the challenge by outlasting Jack Loutit and Matt Rankin 7-5 to claim the early momentum.
The Wildcats won the first two singles decisions, but Jovanovic was able to knot the score once more at 2-2 with his straight-set victory over Lapadat 6-3, 6-1. But that is as close as Mississippi State would get as Kentucky took the final three courts to improve to 5-0 in the SEC and 14-2 overall.
Matt Roberts' Bulldogs (11-5, 3-2 SEC) are back out on the road next weekend beginning with a battle at 16th-ranked South Carolina on Friday at 4 p.m. CT.
No. 6 Kentucky 5, No. 15 Mississippi State 2
A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
March 17, 2024
Doubles
1. No. 35 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. No. 13 Joshua Lapadat/JJ Mercer (UK) 6-3
2. Eli Stephenson/Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 6-4
3. Nemanja Malesevic/Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Jack Loutit/Matt Rankin (UK) 7-5
Order of finish: (1,2,3)
Singles
1. No. 21 Taha Baadi (UK) def. Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. No. 27 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Joshua Lapadat (UK) 6-3, 6-1
3. Jaden Weekes (UK) def. No. 121 Carles Hernandez (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Charlelie Cosnet (UK) def. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Jack Loutit (UK) def. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 5-7, 7-6(5), 1-0[7]
6. Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Radomir Tomic (MSU) 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: (3,6,2,1,4,5)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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