No. 12 Bulldogs Shutout No. 22 Spartans in NCAA Second Round

Saturday, May 3

Starkville

1 p.m.

Mississippi State

Michigan State

No. 12 Bulldogs Shutout No. 22 Spartans in NCAA Second Round

May 03, 2025 | Men's Tennis

Photo Gallery

By: Peyton Burkhalter, Student Assistant

STARKVILLE – The No. 12 Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the No. 22 Michigan State Spartans 4-0 in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. They now advance to the Round of 16 for the third consecutive season, and the sixth time in the last seven years.

Doubles was a battle to the very end, as two courts went to tiebreakers to decide the doubles point. Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez bested Ozan Baris and Matthew Forbes first, which was their 15^th doubles win in a row. Michigan State fought back in a tiebreaker on court three to bring it back even before No. 60 Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez Serrano clinched it for State.

Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Dusan Milanovic finished both of their singles matches back-to-back to give State an early 3-0 lead. Baroni followed up much later, but he clinched the match for the second time this weekend by beating No. 109 Max Sheldon in a three set thriller, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Records
No. 12 Mississippi State (24-5)
No. 22 Michigan State (17-10)

Quotable
"We're just trying to keep pouring into these guys, helping them grow, teach them how they can believe in themselves and how much we believe in them. When you see them start doing things on their own and building confidence in themselves, it's the most rewarding thing. Part of the fruit is going to the Sweet 16, but it's more special getting to see them grow and build confidence in themselves. We just want to keep playing and keep this season alive" – Head Coach Matt Roberts

Match Notes

This is the third consecutive season that Mississippi State is moving on to the Round of 16 of the NCAA Championships.
The Bulldogs finished with a home record of 19-1 with the victory, one of the most impressive home records in school history.
State has advanced to the Round of 16 six of the past seven seasons, and is the 18^th time in school history that we moved on to the Sweet Sixteen.
Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez extended their doubles win streak to 15 in a row, extending back to February.
Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez have accumulated 56 doubles victories together now, which is the second-most in MSU history. They are one win away from tying Nuno Borges and Strahinja Rakic for first.
The Junior Bulldog tandem are now tied for third all-time in Mississippi State history with Simon Larose and Matt Pledger in single season doubles wins by one pair with 31.
Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez Serrano recorded a doubles victory in the win, which extended their win streak to three.
Baroni and Martinez Serrano clinched the doubles point for the Bulldogs, which brings their clinch total on the season to 11. They are only one behind Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez for the most on the team.
Martinez Serrano is now tied with Sanchez Martinez for the most doubles clinches on the team with 12.
Dusan Milanovic said his potential farewell to playing in the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in style. He picked up his first ranked singles win of the season with his win over No. 107 Matthew Forbes, 6-2, 6-3.
Baroni has now clinched four matches for the Bulldogs, which is good for third-most on the team. He clinched both the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament this weekend.
Bryan Hernandez Cortes extended his win streak to six with his victory over Mitchell Sheldon, 6-3, 6-4. His win streak is currently the second-longest on the team.

Up Next
No. 12 MSU will face the winner of No. 6 Ohio State and No. 31 Auburn in the Columbus Regional. Dates will be released in the coming week.

Match Results
Doubles:
1. No. 1 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez Martinez (STATE) def. Ozan Baris/Matthew Forbes (MSU) 6-4
2. No. 60 Niccolo Baroni/Mario Martinez Serrano (STATE) def. Danial Rakhmatullayev/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) 7-6(6)
3. Max Sheldon/Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) def. Dusan Milanovic/Michal Novansky (STATE) 7-6(4)
Order of finish: (1,3,2)

Singles:
1. No. 28 Benito Sanchez Martinez (STATE) vs. Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) 7-6(5), 2-6, unfinished
2. No. 67 Petar Jovanovic (STATE) vs. No. 15 Ozan Baris (MSU) 2-6, 6-4, 5-4, unfinished
3. No. 111 Niccolo Baroni (STATE) vs. No. 109 Max Sheldon (MSU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
4. Dusan Milanovic (STATE) def. No. 107 Matthew Forbes (MSU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (STATE) def. Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Mario Martinez Serrano (STATE) vs. Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) 6-3, 3-6, 4-1, unfinished
Order of finish: (5,4,3)

For more information on the Bulldog men's tennis program, visit HailState.com or search for "HailStateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.