STARKVILLE – No. 12 Mississippi State battled VCU for nearly three hours in front of a packed Rula Tennis Pavilion in the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend on Saturday.
It was a back-and-forth fight all afternoon with three lead changes, three ties and the match coming down to the third set of the final court. However, the Bulldogs’ bid to be in Sunday’s championship match came up just short as VCU pulled off a 4-3 upset.
Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic came away with a 6-1 win over Hamza El Amine and Romain Gales in doubles but it was the Rams that walked away with the early momentum and the doubles point.
VCU’s Oscar Pinto Sansano and German Samofalov claimed a 6-0 victory over 24th-ranked tandem of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez and Matisse Bobichon and Mathis Bondaz clinched the point following a 6-3 win against the Bulldogs’ Marshall Landry and Nemanja Malesevic.
MSU quickly evened things up in singles as Sanchez Martinez made short work of Gaines 6-3, 6-4 but it would not last long as the Rams’ Bobichon, ranked 90th in singles, took down No. 13 Jovanovic 6-4, 6-4.
The Bulldogs bounced back as Hernandez topped El Amine 6-2, 7-6(5) for his ninth consecutive singles win dating back to last season. State briefly took a 3-2 lead when Radomir Tomic took down Samofalov 6-4, 7-6(1). However, VCU tied the match for the third time as Pinto Sansano rallied back over Milanovic 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 leaving Court 2 to decide the match.
The Bulldogs’ Malesevic swiftly won the first set 6-1 over Bondaz. But the 78th-ranked Bondaz battled back with a 6-1 win of his own in the second set and sealed things for VCU with a 7-5 clincher in the third.
Mississippi State (4-1) meets No. 25 Florida State in Sunday’s consolation match at 10 a.m. The Seminoles (3-2) also dropped a 4-3 decision to Arizona State on Saturday. The Bulldogs beat FSU 6-1 in Starkville on Jan. 19.
VCU and Arizona State advance to the championship match of ITA Kickoff Weekend scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. The winner will move on to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships next month in New York City.
VCU 4, No. 12 Mississippi State 3
Rula Tennis Pavilion | Starkville, Miss.
Jan. 27, 2024
Doubles:
1. Oscar Pinto Sansano/German Samofalov (VCU) def. No. 24 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 6-0
2. Carles Hernandez/Dusan Milanovic (MSU) def. Hamza El Amine/Romain Gales (VCU) 6-1
3. Matisse Bobichon/Mathis Bondaz (VCU) def. Marshall Landry/Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 6-3
Order of finish: 1,2,3
Singles:
1. No. 90 Matisse Bobichon (VCU) def. No. 13 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
2. No. 78 Mathis Bondaz (VCU) def. Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) 1-6, 6-1, 7-5
3. Oscar Pinto Sansano (VCU) def. Dusan Milanovic (MSU) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4
4. Carles Hernandez (MSU) def. Hamza El Amine (VCU) 6-2, 7-6(5)
5. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Romain Gales (VCU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Radomir Tomic (MSU) def. German Samofalov (VCU) 6-4, 7-6(1)
Order of finish: (5,1,4,6,3,2)
For more information on the Bulldog men’s tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for “HailStateMT” on X, Instagram and Facebook.