No. 17 MSU Opens Season With Sunday Doubleheader

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State embarks on its 101^st season of men’s tennis with a Sunday doubleheader inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.

The 17^th-ranked Bulldogs welcome Northern Illinois at 10 a.m. followed by a match against Chattanooga at 2 p.m. to start off a six-match homestand to start off the year that culminates with hosting ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 27-28.

MSU is coming off a 21-8 campaign that saw the Bulldogs host the opening rounds of the 2023 NCAA Championships and advanced to the Round of 16 for the fourth time in the past five years. State returns five members of last season’s Sweet 16 squad, including the top three players from its singles’ lineup.

“We really talk specifics with the guys about the roots and not the fruits,” said Matt Roberts, who is in his 10^th season as head coach. “Last year, we did a really good job in those areas and I think this year we’ll be just as good or better so we can develop even more and hopefully make more of a run in the NCAA Tournament, potentially host another round and get to the final site. We have some pretty big goals with this group, but I think the thing that we focus on that’ll allow us to achieve those goals is the culture and I feel really good about that right now.”

Helping cultivate that culture from a leadership standpoint are seniors Nemanja Malesevic and Carles Hernandez. Malesevic and Hernandez were both All-SEC selections in 2023. Malesevic spent most of last spring atop the Bulldogs’ singles lineup while Hernandez generated a team-best 27-7 overall record, including a 21-5 dual match mark and an 8-3 record in SEC play.

Mississippi State also returns a sensational sophomore class that features Petar Jovanovic, Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky. Jovanovic was selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team last season and enters this year ranked 13^th nationally in singles and 24^th in doubles alongside Sanchez Martinez.

Jovanovic dazzled in the fall with a 14-3 record with five victories over ranked opponents in singles and also an 8-4 mark in doubles with a trio of ranked wins. The 6-foot-4 native of Montenegro competed in both singles and doubles at the ITA Fall National…