Mississippi State
Georgia
State Starts SEC Play Against Georgia
March 02, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men's tennis is gearing up to start Southeastern Conference play at home against No. 43 Georgia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Matt Roberts' 26th-ranked Bulldogs were able to navigate a challenging non-conference schedule with an 8-3 record and are looking forward to competing against an always arduous league slate.
"We've had a pretty good non-conference portion so far," Roberts said. "We've had some battles and some good road matches at Memphis, (Middle Tennessee) and at Tulane, which are good for us to play in front of another crowd. Our team is building and getting better with each week. I feel like our singles lineup is getting better and doubles is getting better. I feel like we're peaking and moving forward in the right direction. We're just really trying to stay focused on what we can control, how we can get better and enjoying that process together."
MSU heads into SEC action coming off a 4-3 triumph at Tulane on Feb. 25 and riding a four-match winning streak. State is healthy and well rested having competed only once in 19 days. Sunday's match will mark Mississippi State's debut match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre this season and just its second outdoor match of 2024.
"Outdoor tennis really helps some of our guys and we're excited to go on a run with some outdoor matches," Roberts said.
Several MSU standouts are already enjoying successful singles runs of their own. Senior Carles Hernandez has won 12 of his last 13 matches dating back to last spring and sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez has been victorious in eight of his last nine outings, including a pair of match-clinchers. Both men own identical 8-1 dual match records.
State's singles lineup is led by No. 23 Petar Jovanovic and No. 95 Nemanja Malesevic. Jovanovic paces the team with 18 victories on the year while Malesevic headlines State with a perfect 4-0 record at the top position.
Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez also makeup the No. 42 doubles tandem in the nation having earned a dozen wins already this season.
Georgia (4-5, 0-1 SEC) is in the midst of a four-match skid – all against opponents ranked in the top 25 and three losses to teams in the top six at the time of play. UGA began league play on Friday at fifth-ranked Tennessee, falling 6-1. It also has losses at then No. 6 Virgina (4-0), at then No. 25 North Carolina (6-1) and No. 3 Wake Forest (5-2) during the recent slide.
Georgia features three ranked singles competitors in Thomas Paulsell (54), Ryan Colby (56) and Miguel Perez Peña (77) as well as the No. 37 doubles due in Colby and Niels Ratiu.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
