Friday, March 22
Columbia, S.C.
4 p.m. CT
Mississippi State
at
South Carolina
Photo by: Ivy Ball/MSU Athletics
No. 19 MSU Hits The Road For A Pair Of Ranked SEC Matches
March 21, 2024 | Men's Tennis
No. 19 Mississippi State men's tennis is back on the road this weekend with a pair of opportunities against ranked opponents.
The Bulldogs are set to take on No. 16 South Carolina on Friday at 4 p.m. CT before traveling to the Sunshine State to battle 33rd-ranked Florida on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
MSU secured wins over the Gamecocks and Gators inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion last season. Matt Roberts' Bulldogs pulled off the highest-ranked win in program history when they downed then second-ranked South Carolina 5-2 last spring. They also split two matches in Starkville against Florida, dropped a 4-2 decision on ITA Kickoff Weekend before bouncing back with a 5-2 win over the then 19th-ranked Gators during conference play.
State (11-5, 3-2) enters the weekend with two ranked singles competitors and a ranked doubles pair in the latest ITA player rankings. No. 39 Petar Jovanovic is coming off back-to-back wins in singles at home and leads the Bulldogs with 21 victories on the year, four of which have come against ranked foes.
Nemanja Malesevic is back in the rankings at No. 118 and is tied for the team lead with four match clinchers this spring. Jovanovic and fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez makeup the nation's 37th-ranked doubles duo and have won 15 matches as a team this year.
South Carolina is 8-8 this season and is 2-3 in SEC play. The Gamecocks are coming off a 4-1 loss at now No. 21 Auburn this past Sunday.
South Carolina sports two ranked singles players in No. 21 Toby Samuel and No. 105 Casey Hoole. Hoole and Samuel also make up the Gamecocks' lone doubles tandem at No.19 nationally.
Sanchez Martinez clinched last year's match by beating the then 83rd-ranked Hoole 6-3, 6-4. Jovanovic and Michal Novansky also picked up singles wins against South Carolina last season.
Florida comes into the weekend with an 8-2-2 overall record and is 2-4 in league play with a match looming against No. 51 Ole Miss on Friday. The Gators were swept on the road last weekend, falling 4-1 at Auburn and 5-2 at now No. 28 Alabama.
Florida features 66th-ranked Jermey Jin in singles play and a pair of ranked doubles teams in No. 57 Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn along with No. 67 Nate Bonetto and Adian Kim.
Jovanovic, Malesevic, Sanchez Martinez and Carles Hernandez all enjoyed singles wins against the Gators in 2023.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
The Bulldogs are set to take on No. 16 South Carolina on Friday at 4 p.m. CT before traveling to the Sunshine State to battle 33rd-ranked Florida on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
MSU secured wins over the Gamecocks and Gators inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion last season. Matt Roberts' Bulldogs pulled off the highest-ranked win in program history when they downed then second-ranked South Carolina 5-2 last spring. They also split two matches in Starkville against Florida, dropped a 4-2 decision on ITA Kickoff Weekend before bouncing back with a 5-2 win over the then 19th-ranked Gators during conference play.
State (11-5, 3-2) enters the weekend with two ranked singles competitors and a ranked doubles pair in the latest ITA player rankings. No. 39 Petar Jovanovic is coming off back-to-back wins in singles at home and leads the Bulldogs with 21 victories on the year, four of which have come against ranked foes.
Nemanja Malesevic is back in the rankings at No. 118 and is tied for the team lead with four match clinchers this spring. Jovanovic and fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez makeup the nation's 37th-ranked doubles duo and have won 15 matches as a team this year.
South Carolina is 8-8 this season and is 2-3 in SEC play. The Gamecocks are coming off a 4-1 loss at now No. 21 Auburn this past Sunday.
South Carolina sports two ranked singles players in No. 21 Toby Samuel and No. 105 Casey Hoole. Hoole and Samuel also make up the Gamecocks' lone doubles tandem at No.19 nationally.
Sanchez Martinez clinched last year's match by beating the then 83rd-ranked Hoole 6-3, 6-4. Jovanovic and Michal Novansky also picked up singles wins against South Carolina last season.
Florida comes into the weekend with an 8-2-2 overall record and is 2-4 in league play with a match looming against No. 51 Ole Miss on Friday. The Gators were swept on the road last weekend, falling 4-1 at Auburn and 5-2 at now No. 28 Alabama.
Florida features 66th-ranked Jermey Jin in singles play and a pair of ranked doubles teams in No. 57 Adhithya Ganesan and Tanapatt Nirundorn along with No. 67 Nate Bonetto and Adian Kim.
Jovanovic, Malesevic, Sanchez Martinez and Carles Hernandez all enjoyed singles wins against the Gators in 2023.
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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