Saturday, March 18
Lexington, Ky.
11:00 AM
Mississippi State
4
at
3
Kentucky
Giovanni Oradini clinched the Bulldog win against the Wildcats on Saturday.
Oradini Seals State’s Ranked Win Over No. 17 Kentucky
March 18, 2017 | Men's Tennis
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A stellar team effort was capped by freshman Giovanni Oradini's three-set win as the 21st-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis team (13-3, 4-0 SEC) upended 17th-ranked Kentucky (12-7, 3-3 SEC) on the road, 4-3.
The Bulldogs have now won their last nine matches as MSU improved to 13-3 overall. The Maroon and White also secured its first 4-0 start in league play since 2005.
"What a great effort by our boys today," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Our seniors Mate and Vaughn really stepped up for us and were unbelievable in doubles play. We were Bulldog tough today in a difficult environment. Give Kentucky credit for the way they battled, they have a great team and will get a lot of wins in the SEC. We proved again that the longer the match goes the stronger we get and we love these kind of matches."
Saturday's match was moved indoors due to cold temperatures in the Lexington area.
The contest would begin with MSU wrestling away the doubles point from UK as the Bulldogs would win on courts one and two. Following a loss by Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, No. 48 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey earned a ranked win over No. 70 Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallart, 6-4. With the odds even, the doubles point would come down to a tiebreaker as Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter prevailed 7-6(6) to give MSU the early 1-0 lead.
"We've put a lot of focus on doubles play recently and that's starting to pay off," Roberts said. "We needed that point and our guys delivered. I think that helped our momentum early on."
Only four courts were available indoors as the Bulldogs looked to extend their lead. Braun would be the first to do so as the Bulldog earned a quick 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 75 Nils Ellefsen. The ranked win was Braun's second of the season as the sophomore extended his eighth-straight singles match of the year.
Up 2-0, UK would bounce back for its first point of the afternoon as No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura downed Rakic 6-1, 6-4. MSU wouldn't sit for long as Cutura powered past UK's Pennington in three sets as the senior won, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to put the Bulldogs up 3-1.
The Wildcats took back-to-back matches against No. 4 Borges and Foshey to even the match at 3-3 after No. 28 William Bushamuka and Trey Yates edged out their Bulldog foes. In a dead-heat, all eyes would turn to court five and freshman Oradini.
The final and deciding match would enter a tiebreaker in the opening set as Oradini won 7-6(2) before Wallart bounced back to win the second set 6-3. With all the pressure squarely on freshman Oradini's shoulders, the lefty would deliver as he took the third set 6-3 and sealed No. 21 MSU's 4-3 victory over No. 17 UK.
"A match-clinching win by a freshman is always awesome to see and I'm proud of how Gio played through adversity," Roberts said. "We will continue to marinate this win tonight, but on Monday it's back to work as we get ready for another road match in the SEC."
Up Next
The Bulldogs will look to continue their road momentum on Thursday as MSU travels to No. 46 Arkansas at 6 p.m. CT. State returns to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday, March 25 as Ole Miss comes to town at 3 p.m. CT.
Additional Notes
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 21 Mississippi State No. 17 Kentucky
Lexington, Ky. - Boone Tennis Center (Indoors) – March 18, 2017
Doubles
1. No. 48 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. No. 70 Beck Pennington/Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-4
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) def. Will Bushamuka/Nils Ellefsen (UK) 7-6(6)
3. Trey Yates/Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. No. 28 William Bushamuka (UK) def. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) 7-5, 7-6
2. No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. Beck Pennington (UK) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. No. 75 Nils Ellefsen (UK) 6-1, 6-4
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3*
6. Trey Yates (UK) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-2, 7-5
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 1, 6, 5
* - Match-clinching win
The Bulldogs have now won their last nine matches as MSU improved to 13-3 overall. The Maroon and White also secured its first 4-0 start in league play since 2005.
"What a great effort by our boys today," head coach Matt Roberts said. "Our seniors Mate and Vaughn really stepped up for us and were unbelievable in doubles play. We were Bulldog tough today in a difficult environment. Give Kentucky credit for the way they battled, they have a great team and will get a lot of wins in the SEC. We proved again that the longer the match goes the stronger we get and we love these kind of matches."
Saturday's match was moved indoors due to cold temperatures in the Lexington area.
The contest would begin with MSU wrestling away the doubles point from UK as the Bulldogs would win on courts one and two. Following a loss by Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic, No. 48 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey earned a ranked win over No. 70 Beck Pennington and Enzo Wallart, 6-4. With the odds even, the doubles point would come down to a tiebreaker as Mate Cutura and Vaughn Hunter prevailed 7-6(6) to give MSU the early 1-0 lead.
"We've put a lot of focus on doubles play recently and that's starting to pay off," Roberts said. "We needed that point and our guys delivered. I think that helped our momentum early on."
Only four courts were available indoors as the Bulldogs looked to extend their lead. Braun would be the first to do so as the Bulldog earned a quick 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 75 Nils Ellefsen. The ranked win was Braun's second of the season as the sophomore extended his eighth-straight singles match of the year.
Up 2-0, UK would bounce back for its first point of the afternoon as No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura downed Rakic 6-1, 6-4. MSU wouldn't sit for long as Cutura powered past UK's Pennington in three sets as the senior won, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to put the Bulldogs up 3-1.
The Wildcats took back-to-back matches against No. 4 Borges and Foshey to even the match at 3-3 after No. 28 William Bushamuka and Trey Yates edged out their Bulldog foes. In a dead-heat, all eyes would turn to court five and freshman Oradini.
The final and deciding match would enter a tiebreaker in the opening set as Oradini won 7-6(2) before Wallart bounced back to win the second set 6-3. With all the pressure squarely on freshman Oradini's shoulders, the lefty would deliver as he took the third set 6-3 and sealed No. 21 MSU's 4-3 victory over No. 17 UK.
"A match-clinching win by a freshman is always awesome to see and I'm proud of how Gio played through adversity," Roberts said. "We will continue to marinate this win tonight, but on Monday it's back to work as we get ready for another road match in the SEC."
Up Next
The Bulldogs will look to continue their road momentum on Thursday as MSU travels to No. 46 Arkansas at 6 p.m. CT. State returns to the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre on Saturday, March 25 as Ole Miss comes to town at 3 p.m. CT.
Additional Notes
- MSU has won its last four matches against Kentucky
- The 4-0 start in SEC play is MSU's first since 2005
- The Bulldogs have won their last four matches indoors
- Head Coach Matt Roberts is 4-0 all-time against UK
- No. 48 Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey have earned six ranked doubles wins
- Giovanni Oradini is now 5-0 in singles play on the road
- Oradini has clinched four matches for the Bulldogs
- Braun and Oradini each earned their 10th dual-match singles win
Social Media
For more information on the Mississippi State men's tennis program, follow "HailStateMT" on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
No. 21 Mississippi State No. 17 Kentucky
Lexington, Ky. - Boone Tennis Center (Indoors) – March 18, 2017
Doubles
1. No. 48 Niclas Braun/Trevor Foshey (MSU) def. No. 70 Beck Pennington/Enzo Wallart (UK) 6-4
2. Mate Cutura/Vaughn Hunter (MSU) def. Will Bushamuka/Nils Ellefsen (UK) 7-6(6)
3. Trey Yates/Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. Nuno Borges/Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. No. 28 William Bushamuka (UK) def. No. 4 Nuno Borges (MSU) 7-5, 7-6
2. No. 25 Ryotaro Matsumura (UK) def. Strahinja Rakic (MSU) 6-1, 6-4
3. Mate Cutura (MSU) def. Beck Pennington (UK) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
4. Niclas Braun (MSU) def. No. 75 Nils Ellefsen (UK) 6-1, 6-4
5. Giovanni Oradini (MSU) def. Enzo Wallart (UK) 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3*
6. Trey Yates (UK) def. Trevor Foshey (MSU) 6-2, 7-5
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 1, 6, 5
* - Match-clinching win
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
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