TALLAHASSEE, Fla., – Nemanja Malesevic has played some fantastic tennis over the past few weeks, which ultimately qualified him for a singles’ spot in the ITA Fall National Championships next week in San Diego, California.
Earlier this week, the Mississippi State junior notched a pair of qualifying wins at the ITF Tallahassee 15K to reach Wednesday’s main draw where he took the tournament’s No. 3 overall seed, Ricardo Rodriguez, to three sets in the opening round.
Rodriguez won a tight first-set tiebreaker 7-6(6) before Malesevic bounced back to claim the second set 6-3. The third and final set went back-and-forth but the 29-year-old Rodriguez from Venezuela prevailed 6-4 to advance.
Carles Hernandez, the lone other Bulldog participating in the ITF Tallahassee 15K, went 1-1 at the event during the qualifying rounds.
“These last few days here in Tallahassee had a lot of good pressure moments to learn from and grow from for Carles and ‘Memo’,” said assistant coach Jake Jacoby. “It was our first indoor matches of the year and against some different styles of players, which was great for them to experience and work through.”
But while as Malesevic was competing Wednesday afternoon, the MSU men’s tennis program received some positive news that directly involves him. He and Hernandez received an at-large bid to play doubles together at the ITA Fall National Championships.
“I believe they are both very ready for doubles and singles next week at Fall Nationals in San Diego,” Jacoby said. “It’s a great feat to qualify for this great event, and I know they are ready to work these next few days and enjoy the opportunity.”
Hernandez and Malesevic are 4-1 as a tandem this fall and reached the semifinals at the ITA Southern Regional last week.
ITA Fall National Championships are scheduled for Nov. 2-6 at the Barnes Tennis Center.
For more information on the Bulldog men’s tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
ITF Tallahassee 15K
Florida State Indoor Tennis Facility | Tallahassee, Fla.
Oct. 26, 2022
Singles Main Draw First Round
Ricardo Rodriguez (Venezuela) def. Nemanja Malesevic (MSU/Bosnia and Herzegovina) 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-4
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