No. 6 Mississippi State Advances to SEC Championship for First Time Since 2019

Saturday, April 18

Bryan-College Station, Texas

10 a.m.

Mississippi State

LSU

Mississippi State Men's Tennis Spring 2026

No. 6 Mississippi State Advances to SEC Championship for First Time Since 2019

April 18, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Tad Couch, Athletic Communications Student Intern

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – No. 6 Mississippi State punched its ticket to the SEC Championship Final with a hard-fought 4-2 win over No. 5 LSU, marking the program's first finals appearance since its back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019.

The Bulldogs set the tone early by securing the doubles point in dramatic fashion. The duo of Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky delivered a 7-6(5) win on court one to seal the point after Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes opened with a 6-3 victory on court three.

Following a two hour rain delay, No. 123 Bryan Hernandez Cortes continued his dominant stretch, earning his eighth consecutive singles victory with a straight-set win on court five to double the Bulldogs' advantage. No. 25 Erik Arutiunian pulled a point back for the Tigers with a straight set win over No. 84 Niccolo Baroni on court two.

Raphael Vaksmann kept his win streak alive with a 7-5, 7-5 victory to put State one point away from clinching the match. LSU added a point on court six before No. 91 Mario Martinez Serrano provided the clincher on three.

Martinez Serrano defeated No. 106 Andrej Loncarevic 7-6(9), 7-5 to secure the Bulldogs' spot in the final. The win marked his fifth ranked dual victory of the season and pushed his singles total to 24 wins, surpassing his 2025 campaign.

The doubles pair of Sanchez Martinez and Novansky also continued their strong form, earning their second consecutive top-15 win and second consecutive clinch together.

With the win, Mississippi State improves to 22-4 (11-3 SEC) and advances to face No. 1 Texas Longhorns men's tennis in the SEC Championship Final, looking to capture its first conference title since the historic 2018-19 run.

Records
No. 6 Mississippi State (22-4, 11-3 SEC)
No. 5 LSU (25-6, 10-4 SEC)

Match Notes
• Mississippi State is heading to the SEC Championship Finals for the first time since 2019.
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes recorded his eighth consecutive singles win, his longest career singles win streak.
• Mario Martinez Serrano recorded his fifth ranked singles dual win of the season.
• Raphael Vaksmann secured his 16^th dual singles win of the season.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky picked up their second consecutive top-15 win as a pair.
• Mario Martinez Serrano surpassed his singles win total from the 2025 campaign with 24 wins.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky picked up their second straight clinch as a pair.

Up Next
No. 6 Mississippi State will face No. 1 Texas in the SEC Championship Final.

Match Results
Doubles
1. Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Sasa Markovic and Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) – 7-6(5)*
2. Matias Ponce de Leon and Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 7-5
3. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Olaf Pieczkowski and Enzo Kohlmann De Freitas (LSU) – 6-3
Mississippi State won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 3, 1*

Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) vs. Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) – 3-6, 6-2, 4-3 unf.
2. Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 6-1, 7-6(0)
3. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) def. Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) – 7-6(9), 7-5*
4. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) def. Matias Ponce de Leon (LSU) – 7-5, 7-5
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) – 6-2, 7-6(2)
6. Enzo Kohlmann De Freitas (LSU) def. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) – 6-3, 7-6(2)
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 4, 6, 3*
*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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