No. 6 Mississippi State Cruises to 5-2 Win Over No. 35 Arkansas

Thursday, April 2

Fayetteville, Ark.

5:30 p.m.

Mississippi State

Arkansas

No. 6 Mississippi State Cruises to 5-2 Win Over No. 35 Arkansas

April 02, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score

By: Tad Couch, Athletic Communications Student Intern

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 6 Mississippi State continued its strong SEC campaign Thursday with a 5-2 victory over No. 35 Arkansas, improving to 19-3 overall and 10-2 in conference play.

The Bulldogs secured the doubles point and won five of six singles matches to earn their fourth 5-2 win this season, extending their current win streak to four matches.

Mississippi State set the tone early in doubles action. The duo of Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky, competing together at the No. 1 position for the first time, cruised to a 6-1 win. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes followed with a 7-6(2) victory on court three to clinch the doubles point.

In singles, State's depth proved decisive. Wins from Sanchez Martinez and Hernandez Cortes gave the Bulldogs control before Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes sealed the match on court six with a 6-3, 7-6(6) victory.

Ferrer Guimaraes delivered a standout performance, clinching both the doubles point alongside Hernandez Cortes and the match in singles, marking the first time in his career he has clinched back-to-back matches.

Niccolo Baroni tacked on an insurance point to cap the Bulldog scoring before Arkansas added two late points.

Sanchez Martinez continued his strong form at the top of the lineup, extending his singles win streak to five matches and improving to eight wins in his last 10 ranked matchups. Hernandez Cortes also stayed hot, pushing his win streak to four.

The victory marked a milestone for the program, as Mississippi State reached double-digit SEC wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2018 and 2019. Head coach Matt Roberts also improved to 12-1 against his alma mater with the win.

Records
No. 6 Mississippi State (19-3, 10-2 SEC)
No. 35 Arkansas (16-11, 3-9 SEC)

Match Notes
• Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes clinched back-to-back matches for the first time in his career.
• Mississippi State picked up its 10^th SEC win, marking the first time State has had double digit SEC wins in back-to-back seasons since 2018 & 2019
• Mississippi State earned its second 5-2 victory of the season over an SEC foe.
• Matt Roberts improved to 12-1 over his alma mater.
• Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes picked up two clinches, clinching singles and clinching doubles with Bryan Hernandez Cortes.
• The Bulldogs picked up wins on five of six singles courts.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez extended his singles win streak to five games and Hernandez Cortes to four.
• Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky featured at the No. 1 doubles position for the first time as a tandem.
• Mississippi State is on a four match win streak.
• Sanchez Martinez has won eight of his past 10 ranked singles matchups.

Up Next
No. 6 Mississippi State travels to No. 11 Oklahoma at 12:00 p.m. CT on April 4^th in Norman, Okla.

Match Results
Doubles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Ben Weintraub and Eric Padgham (ARK) – 6-1
2. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) vs. Jakub Vrba and Connor Smillie (ARK) – 6-6 (2-4) unf.
3. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Dmitry Kopilevich and Brendan Boland (ARK) – 7-6(2)*
Mississippi State won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 1, 3*

Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Jakub Vrba (ARK) – 7-5, 6-4
2. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) def. Lukas Palovic (ARK) – 6-2, 7-6(3)
3. Ben Weintraub (ARK) def. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) – 6-3, 5-7, 6-1
4. Gabriel Elicha Navas (ARK) def. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) – 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Dmitry Kopilevich (ARK) – 7-6(4), 6-4
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) def. Arsene Pougault (ARK) – 6-3, 7-6(6)*
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 6*, 2, 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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