Mississippi State rallies to beat Illinois for first ranked win of season
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Mississippi State men’s tennis team fought back from an early deficit to defeat No. 24 Illinois 4-2 Friday evening at Atkins Tennis Center.
The Bulldogs lost the doubles point for the first time this season, with Illinois earning wins at the second and first doubles spots. Illinois carried momentum into singles, where Sasha Colleu defeated No. 34 Bryan Hernandez Cortes in straight sets to give the Illini a 2-0 lead.
Mississippi State responded with victories from Niccolo Baroni and Raphael Vaksmann, tying the match at 2-2. Senior Mario Martinez Serrano then secured the Bulldogs’ first ranked win of the season in a three-set battle, giving Mississippi State the lead.
Petar Jovanovic clinched the victory with a comeback win over Gabriel Debru, and Benito Sanchez Martinez capped the evening with a hard-fought victory over No. 10 Kenta Miyoshi. The Bulldogs rallied to win five straight points in the match.
Head coach Matt Roberts earned his 215th career win, moving him one win shy of tying for second all-time at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs improve to 3-0 overall and 0-0 in the Southeastern Conference, while Illinois falls to 0-1.
Mississippi State will next travel to Indiana for a match scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.
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