Bulldogs claim the highest-ranked victory in program history over No. 2 Gamecocks
No. 14 Mississippi State men's tennis earned the highest-ranked win in program history as it knocked off second-ranked South Carolina 5-2 on Sunday inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.
The Bulldogs (15-3, 3-2 SEC) won the doubles point and clinched the match at 4-1 to earn their fourth victory over a top 20 opponent this year. The victory also improved MSU to 13-1 at home this spring.
"This feels great," MSU head coach Matt Roberts said. "It was just an incredible job by the guys to compete every point. We were down in doubles and were able to come back and show a lot of resilience and belief in themselves. We've been working on playing ever point as tough as we can and it's paying off. We had a great week of practice and I'm just super proud of these guys and how they're starting to believe in themselves more and more."
The Bulldogs' freshmen class was instrumental in the upset with all three winning in singles and doubles action. Petar Jovanovic teamed with graduate Ewen Lumsden to clinch the doubles point with their 7-6(1) tiebreaker victory over 22nd-ranked Jake Beasley and James Story. Jovanovic also knocked off No. 84 Raphael Lambling 6-2, 6-4 for his second ranked win in singles competition.
The rookie tandem of Michal Novansky and Benito Sanchez Martinez earned a 6-4 doubles win against Lambling and Casey Hoole before each claimed a straight-set singles victory. Novansky beat Beasley 6-4, 6-4 while Sanchez Martinez clinched the match with his 6-3, 6-4 win over Hoole, who is ranked 83rd nationally.
"I think the freshmen are growing at an incredible rate," Roberts said. "It's just been so much fun. They're so coachable and want to do everything right. They're improving quickly doing what we do with our culture. I'm proud of the way they're competing, believing in themselves and fighting."
It was the second straight weekend Sanchez Martinez has taken down a ranked opponent after knocking off No. 100 Pierce Rollins of Texas A&M last Saturday. It was also the second time the newcomer from Potsdam, Germany has clinched a match for State this spring.
"It was unreal for me, quite the experience," Sanchez Martinez said. "I had that feeling of knowing I won it for the team. It wasn't just my victory. It was our team's victory."
Lumsden's singles victory put the Bulldogs back ahead 2-1 when he topped Story in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. The Glasgow, Scotland native has now won 11 of his last 13 singles matches dating back to Jan. 22.
The only setbacks of the day came against Gamecocks that are ranked among the top six in the country. No. 89 Carles Hernandez won his first set 6-2 against fifth-ranked Connor Thomson but dropped the second 6-4 and lost a super tiebreaker 10-7 in the third set.
No. 125 Nemanja Malesevic also fell 6-2, 6-2 to sixthranked Toby Samuel in singles. Samuel and Thomson are also the nation's No. 1 doubles duo and defeated State's 26thranked tandem of Hernandez and Malesevic 6-1.
The win topped the program's previous high when the Bulldogs took down the No. 3 team in the nation on four occasions during the 1990's.
Mississippi State will have two more opportunities at ranked wins on the road this week. The Bulldogs travel to No. 61 Vanderbilt on Friday at 3 p.m. followed at sixth-ranked Kentucky Sunday at noon.