#24 Bulldogs Open Season With 4-0 Win Over UAB
The Bulldogs jumped on the board first, winning two of the three doublesmatches to take the first point. The Bulldog duo of Ryan Farlow and FlorentGirod knocked off the UAB tandem of Johannos Spangenberg and Adrien Tollstamat the #3 spot by a score of 8-4. MSU clinched the point when State's IvanBjelica and Jose-Carlos Pinto won 8-6 over UAB¹s Anton Mavrin and KristjanMitrovski at the #1 position. At the #2 spot UAB's Sebastian Falk and AndreMaier defeated State's Philippe Frayssionux and Pierre Mouillon by a scoreof 8-6.
In singles play, all six matches were in the second set when play wasstopped and moved indoors. After a 40 minute delay, Bjelica took the courtand quickly closed out UAB's Kristjan Mitrovski by a score of 6-1, 6-2 atthe #1 position to give State a 2-0 lead. At the #2 position, MSU's Mouillonoutbattled Blazer Anton Mavrin for a hard fought 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4) win.Bulldog senior Pinto clinched the match for the Bulldogs, also winning athird set tiebreaker by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) over UAB¹s SebastianFalk. The other three singles matches were suspended when MSU clinched thematch. With the win, the Bulldogs are now 21-1 all time against UAB andhave won 13 straight in the series.
"I am proud of the way our guys battled today," said MSU head coachSylvain Guichard. "Both teams had to fight some tough circumstances with theweather, but we were able to focus and get a win over a very fine UAB team."
The Bulldogs next action will be Feb. 9 when the Bulldogs travel toJackson, Miss. to take on Mississippi at 5 p.m. in the ninth-annual RiverHills Cup.
#24 MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, UAB 0
DOUBLES - Ivan Bjelica/Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) def. Anton Mavrin/KristjanMitrovski (UAB) 8-6; Sebastian Falk/Andre Maier (UAB) def. PhilippeFrayssinoux/Pierre Mouillon (MSU) 8-6; Ryan Farlow/Florent Girod (MSU) def.Johannos Spangenberg/Kruno Depotovski (UAB) 8-4.
SINGLES - #74 Bjelica (MSU) def. Mitrovski (UAB) 6-1, 6-2; Mouillon (MSU)def. Mavrin (UAB) 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4); Jose-Carlos Pinto (MSU) def. Falk (UAB)6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3); Frayssinoux (MSU) vs. Andre Maier (UAB) 6-3, 2-2, susp.;Girod (MSU) vs. Spangenberg (UAB) 6-2, 2-0, susp.; Depotovski (UAB) vs.Farlow (MSU) 6-2, 2-1.
(numbers preceding names are current national rankings)