Bulldogs Fight Back to Secure First Ranked Win of the Season

Friday, January 16

Urbana-Champaign, Ill.

6 p.m.

Mississippi State

Illinois

Bulldogs Fight Back to Secure First Ranked Win of the Season

January 16, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Tad Couch, Athletic Communications Student Intern

URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In another challenging road test, the Dawgs faced early adversity against No. 24 Illinois before mounting a spirited comeback to secure a statement victory at Atkins Tennis Center.

The Bulldogs surrendered the doubles point for the first time this season, quickly finding themselves in a hole. Illinois carried that momentum into singles play, as Sasha Colleu earned a straight-set win over No. 34 Bryan Hernandez Cortes to push the Illini advantage to 2-0.

From there, Mississippi State flipped the match. Niccolo Baroni ignited the rally with a commanding two-set victory, and No. 125 Raphael Vaksmann followed suit moments later, leveling the score at 2-2 and shifting the energy firmly to the Bulldogs' side.

With the match knotted at two, No. 37 Mario Martinez Serrano delivered a pivotal breakthrough. The senior battled past Illinois freshman No. 87 Adam Jilly in a three-set thriller (7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2) earning his first ranked win of the season and giving State its first lead of the night.

No. 13 Petar Jovanovic sealed the victory in dramatic fashion, rallying past Gabriel Debru (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) to clinch the match and punctuate the Bulldogs' resilience. For good measure, No. 54 Benito Sanchez Martinez capped the evening with one of the most impressive wins of the night, defeating reigning Big Ten Player of the Year and No. 10 overall player Kenta Miyoshi in a hard-fought battle (6-4, 6(4)-7, 7-6(4))

Records
No. 7 Mississippi State (3-0, 0-0 SEC)
No. 24 Illinois (0-1, 0-0 B1G)

Match Notes
•  Mississippi State rallied to win five straight points in route to victory.
• Head Coach Matt Roberts secured his 215^th career win as head coach of the Bulldogs. He is one win away from being tied  for second all-time.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez  and Mario Martinez Serrano picked up their first ranked dual singles wins of the season.
•  Freshman Raphael Vaksmann is unbeaten in dual matches to start his collegiate career.
•  Petar Jovanovic leads the team in singles wins (3) on the season.

Up Next
No. 7 Mississippi State will travel to Indiana on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Match Results
Doubles
1. Adam Jilly and Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) def. #2 Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) – 6-2
2. Sasha Colleu and Gabriel Debru (ILL) def. Niccolo Baroni/Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) – 6-0
3. Bryan Hernandez Cortes/Michal Novansky (MSU) vs. William Mroz and Zach Viiala (ILL) – 3-3, unf.
Illinois won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 2, 1*

Singles
1. #54 Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. #10 Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) – 6-4, 6(4)-7, 7-6(4)
2. #13 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Gabriel Debru (ILL) – 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) def. William Mroz (ILL) – 6-1, 6-4
4. #37 Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) def. #87 Adam Jilly (ILL)– 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2
5. Sasha Colleu (ILL) def. #34 Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) – 6-3, 6-0
6. 125 Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) def. Jeremy Zhang (ILL) – 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 4, 2*, 1
* Clincher

For more Information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.

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