Mississippi State Hosts No. 3 Texas in Top-10 Men’s Tennis Showdown
STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 10 Mississippi State men’s tennis will host No. 3 Texas on Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. CT at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre, marking a top-10 matchup between two highly ranked programs, according to the school.
The Bulldogs hold a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series, though Texas won the most recent matchup 4-3 in Austin last March. Mississippi State’s longest winning streak in the series was two matches during the 1993-94 seasons. Texas enters the match with a six-match winning streak, boasting an overall record of 10-3 and recent victories over No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 5 TCU and No. 2 Ohio State.
The Longhorns also won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship earlier this season and opened SEC play with a 6-1 victory at Alabama. Texas has four ranked singles players, led by No. 3 Sebastian Gorzny, and three doubles teams ranked nationally, including the No. 12 pairing of Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Ojakaar.
Mississippi State has won seven of its last 10 SEC openers and SEC home openers. The Bulldogs defeated No. 4 Stanford 4-3 at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, their first top-five victory of the season. The team has been on the road extensively, with only two home matches before SEC play.
The Bulldogs feature four players ranked in the ITA singles rankings, led by Petar Jovanovic at No. 10. Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez are returning as ITA Doubles All-Americans. The team tied its program record with 25 wins last season and has several notable individual achievements, including Jovanovic’s near-record singles wins.
Mississippi State’s all-time record stands at 1,119-645-8, and head coach Matt Roberts now holds the school record with 221 career wins. Jovanovic also sits near several school records, including total wins and doubles victories, and is approaching top-five all-time in multiple categories.
The series between Mississippi State and Texas is tied 4-4, with the Bulldogs winning once at home. Last season, Mississippi State narrowly lost 3-4 in Austin. The upcoming match is highly anticipated as both teams are nationally ranked and feature prominent players.
Source: Original Article
