Mississippi State
Middle Tennessee
State Headed Back To The Sweet 16
May 04, 2024 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – It would be hard for Hollywood to script a better ending to Nemanja Malesevic and Carles Hernandez's storied careers at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.
The Mississippi State senior duo won their final two singles matches at home mere minutes apart to clinch the Starkville Regional championship 4-0 over No. 37 Middle Tennessee and send the 15th-ranked Bulldogs back to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
"I'm really proud of the seniors being the last two to make a push," said head coach Matt Roberts. "I'm happy for 'Memo' and Carles and all they've done for the program. Now it's onto the next step of the journey for this year."
Malesevic – ranked 47th nationally in singles – downed No. 44 Leo Raquin in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 to give MSU a 3-0 advantage. It was the seventh ranked singles win for Malesevic this season and 24th of his career.
"It couldn't get much better," Malesevic said. "I played well and the team played well. We won 4-0 and we usually have closer battles with Middle Tennessee. This year, we lost at their place so it feels special."
Moments later, Hernandez brought a packed house - including his parents from Spain – to their feet when he put away Ondrej Horak 6-3, 6-1 to clinch the Starkville Regional on his court for the second-straight year.
"It feels special," Hernandez said. "It was my last (home) match and I wanted to come out and enjoy it as much as possible. I had my parents here and I wanted to do it for them and do it for the crowd and my teammates. I went out there first in doubles with Dusan Milanovic and then myself in singles and left it all out there. I couldn't be prouder and I'm very happy."
The day began with the Bulldogs winning the doubles point for the eighth consecutive match. Hernandez and partner Dusan Milanovic topped Marcel Kamrowski and Javier Cueto Ramos 6-3 to start the afternoon. Malesevic and Michal Novansky finished things off by beating the Blue Raider (21-10) tandem of Jakub Kroslak and Shu Matsuoka 7-5.
That doubles match finished with No. 11 Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez leading MTSU's 28th-ranked tandem of Horak and Raquin 5-3.
Singles also started well for Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs won the first set on all six courts. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes was the first to finish as he downed Cueto Ramos 6-3, 6-3. It was second consecutive day for the freshman to prevail in his first NCAA Championships appearance.
"It was an unreal feeling," Ferrer Guimaraes said. "Just having the crowd here for me with all the support, I just tried to use as much energy as I could. Of course there are nerves and pressure here and there, but I've played a long season and lot of matches to be able to deal with it."
MSU shutout both opponents in the Starkville Regional by a combined score of 8-0 and improved to 19-7 on the year. The Bulldogs advance to take on top-ranked Ohio State in the Columbus Super Regional next Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.
No. 15 Mississippi State 4, No. 37 Middle Tennessee 0A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre | Starkville, Miss.
May 4, 2024
Doubles
1. No. 11 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MS) vs. No. 28 Ondrej Horak/Leo Raquin (MTSU) 5-3, unfinished
2. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MS) def. Marcel Kamrowski/Javier Cueto Ramos (MTSU) 6-3
3. Nemanja Malesevic/Michal Novansky (MS) def. Jakub Kroslak/Shu Matsuoka (MTSU) 7-5
Order of finish: (2,3)
Singles
1. No. 47 Nemanja Malesevic (MS) def. No. 44 Leo Raquin (MTSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. No. 48 Petar Jovanovic (MS) vs. Marcel Kamrowski (MTSU) 7-6(3), 4-2, unfinished
3. Carles Hernandez (MS) def. Ondrej Horak (MTSU) 6-3, 6-1
4. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MS) vs. Jakub Kroslak (MTSU) 6-4, 4-4, unfinished
5. Dusan Milanovic (MS) vs. Demis Taramonlis (MTSU) 6-2, 3-5, unfinished
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MS) def. Javier Cueto Ramos (MTSU) 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: (6,1,3)
For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
