No. 26 MSU Earns Its First SEC Victory of the Season Against No. 16 Tennessee

Saturday, February 22

Knoxville, Tenn.

4 p.m. CT

Mississippi State

Tennessee

Petar Jovanovic & Benito Sanchez Martinez

Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics

No. 26 MSU Earns Its First SEC Victory of the Season Against No. 16 Tennessee

February 22, 2025 | Men's Tennis

By: Peyton Burkhalter, Student Assistant

KNOXVILLE – No. 26 Mississippi State defeated No. 16 Tennessee, 4-3, in its first SEC and road match of the season.

The Bulldogs clinched the doubles point and did not let up, as they won three out of the next four matches to clinch the victory. Tennessee came and earned two points back after the match was already clinched by MSU.

Records: Mississippi State 11-1 // Tennessee 9-3

Quoteable: "Proud of the boys today. It's never easy on the road in the SEC and Tennessee always fights so well. A few guys that stood out to me were the new additions to the squad this year. Niccolo and Bryan being freshman on the road handling their courts as well as they did, and, of course, Mario staying composed and focused to get the clinch. We are ready for another battle Monday at Kentucky. Hail State!" – MSU Head Coach Matt Roberts

Match Notes:

With this road victory, Mississippi State now holds the best record in the conference and the best winning percentage (.916)
Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez reached the impressive mark of 43 career victories together, which ties Laurent Miquelard and Joc Simmons for the fourth-most wins by a doubles duo in program history.
Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez earned a 6-4 win over Tennessee's 26^th-ranked tandem of Alex Kotzen and Alejandro Moreno. It was their fifth win over a ranked foe this season and the 18^th of their careers playing together. That victory was also their fifth time to clinch a doubles point this spring and their 10th all-time as a team.
No. 115 Niccolo Baroni continues his hot streak in singles play. He defeated Alan Jesudason in convincing, 6-1, 6-3, fashion to extend his winning streak to nine.
No. 85 Mario Martinez Serrano secured a victory against No. 95 Moreno in three sets, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2. This was his third ranked win of the season and his third singles clinch as a Bulldog, which is tied for most on the team with Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes. His win is also his seventh in a row in singles play, trailing only Baroni (9) and Novansky (11) for the highest current win streak.
Bryan Hernandez Cortes has not lost a match this season. After picking up his first career SEC victory over James Newton, 6-1, 6-4, he improved his singles record to 4-0.
Dusan Milanovic and Michal Novansky, along with Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez, improved their doubles records to 6-1 after their wins.

Next Up: The Bulldogs hit the road again to play another ranked opponent in No. 28 Kentucky on Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. CT.

No. 26 Mississippi State 4, No. 16 Tennessee 3
Goodfriend Tennis Center | Knoxville, Tenn.
Feb. 22, 2025

Doubles:
1. No. 10 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. No. 26 Alex Kotzen/Alejandro Moreno (TENN) 6-4
2. No. 32 Niccolo Baroni/Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) vs. Alan Jesudason/Shunsuke Mitsui TENN) 5-4, unfinished
3. Dusan Milanovic/Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Jan Kobierski/James Newton (TENN) 6-2
Order of finish: (3,1)

Singles:
1. No. 16 Shunsuke Mitsui (TENN) def. No. 67 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) 7-6(4), 6-2
2. No. 31 Alex Kotzen (TENN) def. No. 65 Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3
3. Jose Garcia (TENN) def. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-5
4. No. 115 Niccolo Baroni (MSU) def. Alan Jesudason (TENN) 6-1, 6-3
5. No. 85 Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) def. No. 95 Alejandro Moreno (TENN) 6-2, 5-7, 6-2
6. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. James Newton (TENN) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: (4,6,1,5,2,3)

For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.