No. 5 Mississippi State Faces No. 18 Auburn in Key SEC Tennis Match

Mississippi State’s men’s tennis team travels to Auburn on Sunday for a Southeastern Conference showdown against No. 18 Auburn. The match is scheduled for noon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.

The Bulldogs enter the contest riding a 12-match winning streak against the Tigers, the longest in the series. Mississippi State holds a 36-21 all-time record over Auburn and is 16-10 in road matches, including a 4-2 victory in their last trip to Auburn in 2024, according to team records.

Under head coach Matt Roberts, Mississippi State has swept Auburn in all 11 meetings during his tenure. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs handed Auburn its only loss of the year during the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Starkville.

Auburn, ranked No. 18 nationally, features three players in the ITA singles rankings: No. 56 Amirkhamza Nasridinov, No. 84 Manel Lazaro Juncadella, and No. 86 Billy Blaydes. The Tigers also boast the No. 20 doubles team of brothers Billy and Freddy Blaydes.

Mississippi State is led by coach Matt Roberts, who holds the program record with 222 wins. The Bulldogs have secured notable victories this season, including a win over No. 4 Stanford and a recent win against No. 37 Vanderbilt in SEC play. The team opened the season with four consecutive road sweeps before returning home to beat Santa Clara and Auburn at the ITA Kickoff Weekend.

Four Bulldogs are ranked in the ITA singles poll, headlined by Petar Jovanovic at No. 10. The team also has two doubles teams ranked, with Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez at No. 4 in doubles, the highest among SEC pairs. Jovanovic, a senior, is close to setting the school record for career wins, sitting at 114 singles victories, just eight behind the all-time leader, Nuno Borges.

Mississippi State, in its 102nd season, holds an all-time record of 1,120-646-8. The team’s current roster includes eight letterwinners from last season’s NCAA quarterfinal squad. The Bulldogs also feature several nationally ranked players and doubles teams, emphasizing their competitive strength heading into the matchup.

The series history favors Mississippi State, which leads 36-21 overall and maintains a 16-10 edge in away matches against Auburn. The Bulldogs have won the last 12 meetings with the Tigers, their longest streak in the series.

Fans can follow the match via live streaming and live stats, with updates available on MSU Men’s Tennis social media channels under the handle

Source: Original Article