Mississippi State
Alabama State
Bulldogs Blank Alabama State To Open Starkville Regional
May 03, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – No. 15 Mississippi State is moving on to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
On Friday, the Bulldogs blanked SWAC regular season and tournament champion Alabama State 4-0 in the opening round of the Starkville Regional after being forced inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion due to thunderstorms throughout the afternoon.
"I thought we competed well on all six courts and had good body language," said head coach Matt Roberts. "Hopefully, we'll improve on our tennis tomorrow and have a good match tomorrow."
It was the second-straight year MSU downed the Hornets (14-4) to start off postseason play at home. It was also be the second time the Bulldogs will square off against Middle Tennessee State in the second round.
The third-seeded and 37th-ranked Blue Raiders downed No. 30 Georgia Tech 4-1 to kickoff the Starkville Regional and will take on Mississippi State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The Bulldogs beat MTSU 4-2 to advance to the Sweet 16 last season but fell 4-3 to the Blue Raiders in their first road outing this year on Feb. 2.
"They're playing well so we've got to be ready for them," Roberts said. "They play good doubles on all three courts and bring a lot of energy. We'll be ready for it. Singles is going to be a grind but if our guys believe in themselves like they have all season, I feel like we're going to be in a good spot. But we've got to be ready for a battle."
Friday's victory over Alabama State started with another success doubles showing from MSU. The Bulldogs (18-7) won their seventh-consecutive doubles point and improve to 13-3 when claiming the doubles point this year.
No. 11 Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez began the match by making short work of Samrakshyak Bajracharya and David Jeanne Grandinot 6-1. Nemanja Malesevic and Michal Novasky followed suit with their 6-2 victory over Matteo Lataste and Lun Obrul.
"Earlier in the season we had some trouble getting doubles points," said junior Dusan Milanovic. "It's kind of hard when you're starting 0-1 and need four matches in singles. It's always easier to play with that one point before singles."
Jovanovic – ranked 48th in singles – carried the momentum over by beating Bajracharya 6-1, 6-1 to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes also won in straight sets against Kristofer Johnson 6-2, 6-0 before Milanovic clinched his team-leading sixth match of the season with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Obrul.
#15 Mississippi State 4, Alabama State 0Rula Tennis Pavilion | Starkville, Miss.
May 3, 2024
Doubles
1. No. 11 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Samrakshyak Bajracharya/David Jeanne Grandinot (ALST) 6-1
2. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) vs. Matis Amier/Alexandre Verlaguet (ALST) 4-4, unfinished
3. Nemanja Malesevic/Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Matteo Lataste/Lun Obrul (ALST) 6-2
Order of finish: (1,3)
Singles
1. No. 47 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) vs. David Jeanne Grandinot (ALST) 6-7 (4-7), 2-1, unfinished
2. No. 48 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Samrakshyak Bajracharya (ALST) 6-1, 6-1
3. Carles Hernandez (MSU) vs. Matis Amier (ALST) 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
4. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) vs. Alexandre Verlaguet (ALST) 6-4, 3-3, unfinished
5. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) def. Lun Obrul (ALST) 6-4, 6-3
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Kristofer Johnson (ALST) 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: (2,6,5)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
