STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 6 Mississippi State opened NCAA Tournament play Friday with a 4-0 win over Tennessee Tech at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs secured the doubles point early and maintained momentum through singles to advance to the next round.
Mississippi State took control in doubles with victories on courts one and three. Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky won 6-1 on court one, while Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Petar Jovanovic sealed the point with a 6-4 win on court three. The Bulldogs carried that energy into singles, with Raphael Vaksmann and Hernandez Cortes earning straight-set wins on courts four and five.
Vaksmann defeated Murilo Burckhardt 6-1, 6-2, and Hernandez Cortes topped Ricard Yepez 6-2, 6-2, giving Mississippi State a 3-0 lead. Mario Martinez Serrano clinched the match on court three, beating Diego Munoz 6-1, 6-2. Play was halted with other matches in progress, all favoring the Bulldogs.
Several players posted notable achievements. Hernandez Cortes extended his winning streak to 10 matches, and Vaksmann recorded his 19th dual singles win of the season. Martinez Serrano earned his seventh dual match victory, while Jovanovic and Hernandez Cortes earned their first win as a doubles pair. Mississippi State improved to 19-3 in NCAA first-round matches and 14-1 in Starkville regional history.
The Bulldogs will face No. 33 Wisconsin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in the NCAA second round.
