AUBURN, Ala. – No. 68 Petar Jovanovic claimed his spot in the ITA National Fall Championships in San Diego, California next month by securing a spot in the finals of the ITA Southern Regional Championships.
The Mississippi State sophomore picked up a pair of singles victories on Monday to setup his finals showdown. He earned a straight-set 7-5, 6-2 win over Ivan Marrero Curbelo of Jacksonville State in the morning quarterfinals and then knocked off 47th-ranked Filip Planinsek of Alabama 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the semifinals later in the afternoon.
Jovanovic squares off in the finals against No. 78 Enzo Aguiard of Alabama on Tuesday at 10 a.m. He already owns a victory over Aguiard from their meeting back in April. Jovanovic won that match 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to clinch the Bulldogs’ victory in Tuscaloosa.
MSU has now produced singles qualifiers for the ITA Fall National Championships in back-to-back years. Jovanovic follows Nemanja Malesevic, who competed in both singles and doubles at the event in 2022.
The ITA Southern Regional Championships nearly had an all-Bulldog semifinal matchup but Benito Sanchez Martinez fell 6-3, 6-4 to Planinsek in the quarterfinals on Monday morning.
ITA Southern Regional Championship
Yarbrough Tennis Center | Auburn Ala.
Oct. 16, 2023
Singles Main Draw Quarterfinals
No. 68 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Ivan Marrero Curbelo (Jacksonville State) 7-5, 6-2
No. 47 Filip Planinsek (Alabama) def. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
Singles Main Draw Semifinals
No. 68 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. No. 47 Filip Planinsek (Alabama) 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
For more information on the Bulldog men’s tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for “HailStateMT” on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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