BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas — No. 6 Mississippi State earned its first SEC men’s tennis final appearance since 2019 with a 4-2 victory over No. 5 LSU on Saturday. The Bulldogs secured the win after a competitive match marked by rain delays and clutch performances.
Mississippi State set the tone early by winning the doubles point in a dramatic fashion. Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky sealed the point with a 7-6 (5) win on court one, after Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes opened with a 6-3 victory on court three, according to match officials.
Following a two-hour rain delay, Hernandez Cortes continued his winning streak, earning his eighth consecutive singles victory with a straight-set win on court five. LSU’s Erik Arutiunian responded with a straight-set win over Niccolo Baroni, but Raphael Vaksmann kept Mississippi State’s momentum alive with a 7-5, 7-5 victory. Mario Martinez Serrano clinched the match for the Bulldogs, defeating Andrej Loncarevic 7-6 (9), 7-5 on court three.
Serrano’s win marked his fifth ranked dual victory of the season, pushing his season total to 24 wins, surpassing his 2025 campaign. The doubles duo of Sanchez Martinez and Novansky also continued their success, earning their second consecutive top-15 win and clinch together.
Mississippi State improves to 22-4 overall and 11-3 in SEC play. The Bulldogs will face No. 1 Texas in the SEC championship match, seeking their first conference title since the 2018-19 season, according to school officials.
