Norman, Oklahoma — The No. 6 Mississippi State men’s tennis team fell to No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, 4-3, in a close match that saw the Bulldogs rally in singles after losing the doubles point.
The Sooners took an early lead by winning the doubles point with victories on courts two and three. Oklahoma’s Alejandro Melero and Oscar Lacides defeated Mississippi State’s Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni, 6-3, while Johan Rodriguez and Asahi Harazaki secured wins on courts three and two, respectively.
In singles, Mississippi State responded with three wins. No. 16 Benito Sanchez Martinez upset No. 30 Luis Alvarez in a three-set thriller, 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-1. Raphael Vaksmann added a straight-sets victory on court four, 7-5, 6-4, and Bryan Hernandez Cortes won comfortably on court five, 6-3, 6-2.
Oklahoma clinched the match with wins on courts six, three, and two. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes suffered a 6-0, 6-1 defeat on court six. The match was decided on court two, where Niccolo Baroni pushed to a third set but fell short, giving the Sooners the decisive fourth point.
Mississippi State, now 19-4 overall and 10-3 in SEC play, saw Sanchez Martinez extend his winning streak to seven matches. Bryan Hernandez Cortes earned his fifth consecutive singles win. The Bulldogs will conclude their regular season at home against Alabama on April 12.
