TUSCALOOSA, Ala., – No. 12 Mississippi State fell behind 52nd-ranked Alabama on a couple of occasions on Sunday. But the Bulldogs continued to battle and rallied back on the road for a 4-3 victory and have now won 13 of the last 14 meetings against the Crimson Tide.
MSU faced a 2-0 deficit after dropping the doubles point and the first singles match. However, the Bulldogs managed to even things up as Benito Sanchez Martinez routed Roan Jones 6-4, 6-2 and No. 123 Nemanja Malesevic upended 88th-ranked Filip Paninsek in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.
Alabama (9-13, 1-8 SEC) regained the lead as Matias Ponce De Leon edged No. 108 Carles Hernandez 7-6(3), 6-4 leaving it on the shoulders of Ewen Lumsden and Petar Jovanovic, who had both lost their first sets, to come through on the final two courts.
Lumsden fought back to tie the score at three-all after topping German Samofalov 3-6, 7-5, 6-3. Jovanovic, a freshman, was able to clinch his fourth match of the season and earn his third ranked singles victory with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 win against No. 83 Enzo Aguiard.
Gregor Ramskogler dropped his singles encounter with Zach Foster 6-2, 6-1 while both of the Bulldogs’ ranked doubles teams fell as well. Aguiard and Foster downed State’s 74th-ranked tandem of Jovanovic and Lumsden 6-3 while No. 44 Hernandez and Malesevic lost by the same score to Planinsek and Samofalov.
The win bumped the Bulldogs to 5-4 in conference play and 17-5 overall this season. Mississippi State will close out its regular season home slate next weekend hosting No. 44 LSU on Friday at 3 p.m. and 59th-ranked Arkansas on Sunday at 1 p.m.
No. 12 Alabama 4, No. 52 Alabama 3
Alabama Tennis Stadium | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
April 2, 2023
Doubles
1. Filip Planinsek/German Samofalov (UA) def. No. 44 Nemanja Malesevic/Carles Hernandez (MSU) 6-3
2. Enzo Aguiard/Zach Foster (UA) def. No. 74 Ewen Lumsden/Petar Jovanovic (MSU) 6-3
3. Joao Ferreira/Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) vs. Gregor Ramskogler/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 3-5, unfinished
Order of finish: (2,1)
Singles
1. No. 123 Nemanja Malesevic (MSU) def. No. 88 Filip Planinsek (UA) 7-5, 6-4
2. Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. No. 83 Enzo Aguiard (UA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Matias Ponce De Leon (UA) def. No. 108 Carles Hernandez (MSU) 7-6(3), 6-4
4. Ewen Lumsden (MSU) def. German Samofalov (UA) 3-6, 7-5, 6-3
5.
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