STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 5 Mississippi State will host No. 8 Georgia in a top-10 men’s tennis matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, according to the university’s athletics department.
The Bulldogs are led by Petar Jovanovic, who recently set the program’s all-time record for combined singles and doubles victories. Mississippi State has five players ranked in singles in the latest national rankings, providing depth as the team continues conference play.
Georgia enters the match with four players ranked in the ITA singles rankings, including No. 32 Arda Azkara, No. 34 William Jansen, No. 81 Santiago Giamichelle and No. 120 Noah Johnston. The Bulldogs also have two doubles teams ranked nationally: No. 43 Azkara/Giamichelle and No. 68 Derrick Chen/Giamichelle.
Mississippi State notes include Jovanovic setting the all-time program wins record with a victory over Tennessee and head coach Matt Roberts holding the program record for most wins, with 224. The Bulldogs secured their first top-five victory of the season by defeating No. 4 Stanford 4-3 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. They have also recorded conference wins over ranked opponents Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Auburn.
The team opened the 2026 season with four consecutive road sweeps before winning at home against Santa Clara and Auburn to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. Five Bulldogs are ranked in the ITA singles rankings, led by Jovanovic at No. 8, the second-highest in the SEC. Three doubles teams are ranked, with Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez at No. 5 as the highest SEC duo.
Jovanovic, who has 89 career doubles wins and 101 singles wins, is close to surpassing several all-time program records. The Bulldogs have a 102-year history, with an all-time record of 1,120-646-8.
Mississippi State’s series history with Georgia favors the Bulldogs, with an 11-62 overall record. The Bulldogs are 4-22 against Georgia in Starkville. Head coach Matt Roberts claimed his first victory over Georgia in 2015 and has since added three more wins against the Bulldogs.
Fans can follow live coverage and stats for the match through Mississippi State’s athletics website and social media channels.
