FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., – Mississippi State opens its 100th season of men’s tennis by sending six players to participate in the International Tennis Federation Fayetteville 15K beginning on Monday.
The ITF Fayetteville 15K is the first of six tournaments Bulldog tennis players have on their slate this fall. MSU’s roster is currently made up of four returners from last year’s team that reached the Cambridge Regional of the NCAA Championship along with a pair of graduate transfers and two true freshmen.
“So far the fall is going great,” said head coach Matt Roberts. “I really like our new guys. Ewen Lumsden and Patrick Lazo, the transfers that we got, are bringing a lot of maturity to our group. We’re a really mature group and I like where we’re at right now.”
Junior Nemanja Malesevic is the Bulldogs’ top returning player. Malesevic, who is currently ranked No. 52 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles poll, was tied with Florian Broska for the team with 21 singles wins as well as seven victories over ranked foes last season.
Malesevic is also ranked 52nd in doubles alongside partner Gregor Ramskogler, who returns for his fifth season at State. Also back for the Bulldogs is junior Carles Hernandez and redshirt sophomore Seth Richey.
Hernandez currently has the highest ATP ranking (1306) and ITF ranking (450) on State’s roster.
True freshmen Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez are both set to represent the Bulldogs for the first time in Fayetteville. Jovanovic will start the opening round of qualifying on Monday against Arkansas product Jake Sweeney at 10 a.m.
Lumsden is also set to debut on Monday, taking on Arkansas’ Alan Sau Franco not before 12:30 p.m. in the first round of qualifying.
Malesevic and Sanchez Martinez each received an opening round bye but have the potential to meet one of their own teammates in the second round of qualifying. The bracket has Malesevic paired up against the Sweeney/Jovanovic winner while Sanchez Martinez will square off against either Lumsden or Sau Franco.
Ramskogler also advanced to the second round of qualifying via a bye and will meet former Ole Miss standout Finn Reynolds of New Zealand.
The ITF Fayetteville 15K is a seven-day event that will conclude with…
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