Top 20 Matchup Part Of Tennis Twin Bill

STARKVILLE – A top 20 matchup is on the docket as part of a men’s tennis doubleheader inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion on Friday.

No. 17 Mississippi State will meet 20^th-ranked Florida State at 1 p.m. before the Bulldogs take on Tennessee State at 5 p.m.

MSU is off to a 2-0 start to the season having shut out Northern Illinois and Chattanooga this past Sunday. The Bulldogs won the twin bill by a combined score of 14-0 and claimed 28 of the 29 completed sets.

Mississippi State’s singles lineup features 13^th-ranked Petar Jovanovic whose .750 career winning percentage is tied for the fifth-best in school history. Jovanovic also makes up half of the No. 24 doubles duo in the country alongside fellow sophomore Benito Sanchez Martinez.

Jovanovic is currently riding a five-match winning streak in singles play while senior Carles Hernandez has won six consecutive singles matches dating back to the spring. The tandem of Marshall Landry and Nemanja Malesevic have also won five straight and clinched both doubles points during Sunday’s victories.

The Bulldogs lead the overall series against Florida State 11-8 and are 2-1 against the Seminoles in Starkville. MSU edged then 15^th-ranked FSU 4-3 in Tallahassee last season with returning players Jovanovic and Hernandez collecting singles and doubles wins. Malesevic teamed with Hernandez to clinch the doubles point for the Bulldogs last year.

Florida State is also 2-0 to open the season. The Seminoles earned consecutive 7-0 victories at home against Mercer and Jacksonville State last Saturday. FSU boasts No. 97 Jamie Connel in its singles’ lineup as well as the 52^nd-ranked doubles team of Loris Pourroy and Youcef Rihane.

The Seminoles are scheduled to return to Starkville next weekend as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend. VCU and Arizona State will also join Mississippi State and FSU on Jan. 27-28 inside the Rula Tennis Pavilion.

Tennessee State is 0-2 on the year following a 7-0 loss at Middle Tennessee on Jan. 13 and a 6-1 defeat at Vanderbilt on Wednesday.

Mississippi State is 3-0 against the Tigers all-time with all matches taking place in Starkville. The Bulldogs have defeated TSU by a combined score of…