Mississippi State
Alabama
No. 13 MSU Rallies Past No. 21 Alabama, 4-3
March 31, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – No. 13 Mississippi State earned its fourth-consecutive ranked win by rallying past 21st-ranked Alabama on Sunday.
After winning the doubles point, the Bulldogs fell behind 3-2 and needed wins on the final two courts to keep their streak alive. Freshman Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes and senior Carles Hernandez both came through with third-set victories to earn MSU its eighth ranked win of the year and fourth over a top 25 opponent.
"I'm proud of the guys for coming out sharp in doubles," said head coach Matt Roberts. "We were really committed and clean in doubles. Then in singles, we battled on every court. We just got outplayed in a couple of spots today. I'm just really proud of how Rob trusted his game towards the end there. That was a big win for Rob. And then Carles, I'm so proud of how committed and clear he was with what he wanted to do in that third set. He didn't let that moment deter him from swinging out and bringing a lot of intensity."
The Bulldogs (15-5, 7-2) have won 11 of their last 13 matches and gone 7-2 against ranked foes during that span. It was also State's 14th win over the Crimson Tide in their last 16 meetings.
"We feel like we're getting deeper into singles with six courts that are fighting," Roberts said. "Doubles is coming along since we got Michal Novansky back. We're just trying to figure out how we can get better every week. I feel like we're controlling what we can control as a program really well and using these matches to apply it."
The Easter match started off well for the Bulldogs as they took the doubles point. Hernandez and partner Dusan Milanovic defeated Matic Dimic and Roan Jones 6-3 for the first victory while Novansky and Nemanja Malesevic finished the deal with their 6-3 win over Enzo Aguiard and Zach Foster.
Alabama (15-10, 4-5 SEC) answered right back by claiming the top two courts in singles. Sanchez Martinez briefly evened the score with his 6-3, 7-5 victory against Jones but the Tide regained their advantage when Matias Ponce De Leon battled back to beat Milanovic 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Needing wins on the last two courts, Mississippi State continued to grind. Ferrer Guimaraes dropped his first set to Dimic 6-3 but battled back to win the final two sets 6-1, 7-5 for his second career SEC win of the weekend.
"He's just getting comfortable being uncomfortable," Roberts said of Ferrer Guimaraes. "He's out here in an SEC dual match and as an American, he puts a lot of value into playing for Mississippi State. He's been thinking about these moments for the past two years. He's just getting more used to playing his tennis in these environments."
With match knotted at 3-3, Hernandez went to work against 84th-ranked Aguiard on Court 3. Hernandez took the first set 6-4 but dropped the second by the same score. The Spaniard was able to secure the match in the third set 6-3 and send the Bulldog faithful home from the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre with a win.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match," Hernandez said. "I beat him deep in the third set last time and he's beaten me before as well. I came in with the mentality of being locked in since the first point. When it came down to me, I just loved the situation. I love having the feeling of my teammates supporting me. I just love it, there's no other word to describe it."
MSU has its final home match of the regular season on Friday at 3 p.m. when it hosts No. 8 Tennessee. It will also be senior day for Hernandez and Malesevic.
No. 13 Mississippi State 4, No. 21 Alabama 3A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
March 31, 2024
Doubles
1. No. 37 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) vs. No. 69 Filip Planinsek/Andrii Zimnokh (UA) 5-4, unfinished
2. Nemanja Malesevic/Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) 6-3
3. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) def. Matic Dimic/Roan Jones (UA) 6-3
Order of finish: (3,2)
Singles
1. No. 42 Filip Planinsek (UA) def. No. 118 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. Andrii Zimnokh (UA) def. No. 39 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. No. 84 Enzo Aguiard (UA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
4. Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) def. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
5. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Roan Jones (UA) 6-3, 7-5
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Matic Dimic (UA) 3-6, 6-1, 7-5
Order of finish: (2,1,5,4,6,3)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
