MSU?s Cutura Named SEC Men?s Tennis Player Of The Week
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After a 3-0 week on the singles court that increased his winning streak to six matches and his Southeastern Conference record to a league-best 6-0, Mississippi State junior Mate Cutura has been named SEC Player of the Week, the league announced Wednesday.
Cutura put together three wins on the week, helping MSU capture victories against No. 13 Ole Miss (4-1), No. 52 Tennessee (4-3) and Kentucky (4-3). His play has MSU at 15-5 and 6-2 in the SEC, currently putting the Bulldogs at third in the league.
“It means a lot to me being named SEC Player of the Week. I’ve been working hard every day and it means a lot to be rewarded for something that you work for,” Cutura said. “It makes me feel even better and more confident when other people see and recognize that. It gives me even more motivation to work harder and do better in the future.”
The efforts from the Posusje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, native also have the Bulldogs on a three-match winning streak and collecting wins in eight of their last 10 contests.
Cutura was first off the court in State’s matches against the Rebels and Wildcats, picking up both wins in straight sets. Cutura’s victory against Gustav Hansson helped MSU capture its seventh win in the last nine meetings with the Rebels. On Friday, Cutura’s triumph against William Bushamuka helped propel State to its first win against Kentucky since 2007.
In the weekend finale against No. 52 Tennessee, Cutura fought off a number of match points to force a third-set tiebreaker against No. 119 Jack Schipanski. He would eventually go on to earn his second ranked win of the season, tying the match at 3-3 before Juan Cruz Estevarena clinched the 4-3 win against the Volunteers.
Cutura’s efforts helped MSU achieve victories against UK and UT in the same season for the first time since 1998, the last time the Bulldogs reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship. It also marked the first time in recorded history that State has defeated both the Wildcats and the Volunteers on the road in the same season.
For the season, Cutura is 16-7 overall and 10-3 in dual matches. His 6-0 conference record is tied with Ole Miss’ Stefan Lindmark for best in the league.
“Mate is very deserving of this honor with the hard work he has been putting in these past few weeks,” MSU coach Matt Roberts said. “He is really starting to see the results from his relentlessness in training each week and we will continue to lean on him as a leader in this area.”
Cutura and the 26th-ranked Bulldogs return to action at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre this weekend, hosting No. 6 Georgia and No. 45 South Carolina. The battle of the Bulldogs is set for Friday, April 3 at 5 p.m., while State’s showdown with the Gamecocks is slated for Sunday, April 5 at 1 p.m.
With the threat of inclement weather entering the Starkville area this weekend, fans should consult HailStateMT on Twitter and HailState.com for updates on the status of this weekend’s matches.
For more information on Mississippi State men’s tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateMT.