No. 6 Mississippi State Takes Down No. 13 South Carolina; Advance to SEC Championship Semifinals

Friday, April 17

Bryan-College Station, Texas

2 p.m.

Mississippi State

South Carolina

No. 6 Mississippi State Takes Down No. 13 South Carolina; Advance to SEC Championship Semifinals

April 17, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Tad Couch, Athletic Communications Student Intern

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 6 Mississippi State swept No. 13 South Carolina in the SEC Championship Quarterfinals at Mitchell Tennis Center.

The No. 2 seeded Bulldogs jumped out to a fast start early in the contest. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes took care of business with a swift 6-3 win over Charlie Swaine and Gabe Avram.

The newly ranked duo of Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (No. 77) follwed suit, clinching the doubles point for the Dawgs while adding a top-10 victory over No. 7 Lucas Andrade da Silva and Paul Barbier Gazeu.

No. 123 Bryan Hernandez Cortes and No. 91 Mario Martinez Serrano led the charge in singles. Hernandez Cortes flew to a 6-2 win in set one, followed by a 6-4 win in the following set over Atakan Karahan to double the Bulldogs' advantage. Martinez Serrano finished just minutes later with back-to-back 6-2 sets over South Carolina's No. 72 Sean Daryabeigi to push the Bulldogs to the brink of victory.

Raphael Vaksmann clinched the match and the sweep for the Bulldogs with a commanding 6-4, 6-3 victory over Max Stenzer on court four.

Mississippi State advances to the semifinal and will face the winner of (3) LSU and (6) Georgia.

Records
No. 6 Mississippi State (21-4, 11-3 SEC)
No. 13 South Carolina (16-8, 8-6 SEC)

Match Notes
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes secured his seventh consecutive singles win tying his longest career singles win streak.
• Mario Martinez Serrano recorded his fourth ranked singles dual win of the season.
• Raphael Vaksmann secured his 15^th dual singles win of the season.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky picked up their first top-10 win as a pair.
• Mario Martinez Serrano tied his singles win total from the 2025 campaign with 23.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky picked up their first clinch win as a pair.
• Raphael Vaksmann clinched his fourth match of the season

Up Next
No. 6 Mississippi State will face the winner of LSU and Georgia in the SEC Championship Semifinal.

Match Results
Doubles
1. Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Lucas Andrade da Silva and Paul Barbier Gazeu (SC) – 6-3*
2. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) vs. Max Stenzer and Sean Daryabeigi (SC) – 5-5 unf.
3. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Charlie Swaine and Gabe Avram (SC) – 6-3
Mississippi State won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 3, 1*

Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) vs. Lucas Andrade da Silva (SC) – 6-4, 2-2 unf.
2. Paul Barbier Gazeu vs. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 7-5, 3-1 unf.
3. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) def. Sean Daryabeigi (SC) – 6-2, 6-2
4. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) def. Max Stenzer (SC) – 6-4, 6-3*
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Atakan Karahan (SC) – 6-2, 6-3
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) vs. Gabe Avram – 6-4, 3-3 unf.
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 4*
*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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