Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez Ranked No. 1 in Doubles as Five Bulldogs Appear in Preseason ITA Rankings

STARKVILLE – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released their Preseason Rankings on Tuesday with five Bulldogs featured, highlighted by the No. 1 ranked doubles team in America.

The No. 1 duo of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez claimed the top spot in the ITA preseason rankings after finishing No. 2 in last season's final ranking. The pair enter the 2025-26 season with three career ITA All-America honors to their names.

Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez posted a 22-1 record in the spring—all at the No. 1 position—with a perfect 12-0 mark in SEC play. Their 22 dual doubles wins set a program record, and their .960 winning percentage was the highest in school history. The pair also earned First Team All-SEC honors following the season.

The Dawgs are also represented in the doubles preseason rankings with the No. 52 ranked doubles duo of Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez Serrano. The duo climbed 13 spots from last season's final ITA rankings. As a pair, they claimed 16 doubles victories together last season.

Sanchez Martinez also finds himself as the highest ranked Bulldog in the singles rankings at No. 11. He boasted a team-high 27 singles victories this past season and picked up 13 wins over ranked opponents. His doubles mate, Jovanovic, is ranked No. 31, climbing 36 spots. He recorded 18 singles victories last season.

The Bulldogs add another senior to the preseason rankings in Mario Martinez Serrano who is ranked 95th. The second year Dawg finished last season with 16 wins and is one of four State players ranked in both singles and doubles.

Sophomore Niccolo Baroni is ranked No. 62 in the ITA preseason rankings. Baroni finished the 2024/25 season with 18 singles wins, making him one of three Dawgs with 18 or more wins on the season.

Freshman Raphael Vaksmann is listed as the No. 19 overall newcomer. Vaksmann brings a career-best ATP Pro Ranking of 1414, a UTR rating of 12.91 and a French ranking of -15 to Starkville.

For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU Men's Tennis on Twitter, like them on Facebook and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateMT"

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Mississippi State University Athletics

Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez Ranked No. 1 in Doubles as Five Bulldogs Appear in Preseason ITA Rankings

Players Mentioned

Niccolo Baroni

Petar Jovanovic

Mario Martinez Serrano

Benito Sanchez Martinez

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