Bulldogs Surge in Singles to Defeat Kentucky 4-1

Sunday, March 29

Starkville

12 p.m.

Mississippi State

Kentucky

Bulldogs Surge in Singles to Defeat Kentucky 4-1

March 29, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Tad Couch, Athletic Communications Student Intern

STARKVILLE – No. 6 Mississippi State kept its momentum rolling Sunday, defeating Kentucky at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre.

Kentucky claimed the early advantage by securing the doubles point. The Wildcats picked up wins on courts one and three, while court two featuring Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes and Benito Sanchez Martinez went unfinished.

Mississippi State quickly responded in singles, taking control of the match with a strong showing across all six courts. No. 62 Mario Martinez Serrano opened the scoring for the Bulldogs with a win over Jaden Weekes on court three. No. 35 Benito Sanchez Martinez followed with a victory on court one over No. 22 Eli Stephenson.

No. 97 Bryan Hernandez Cortes dropped the opening set on court five but rallied to force a third. Tied at 5-5 in the final set, Hernandez Cortes stepped up, winning the final two games to secure the victory and give the Bulldogs a two-point lead.

Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes delivered a key three-set win on court six, marking his first clinch of the season and securing the team victory for Mississippi State.

The remaining matches on courts two and four, featuring Niccolo Baroni and Raphael Vaksmann, went unfinished.

Records
No. 6 Mississippi State (18-3, 8-1 SEC)
No. 34 Kentucky (14-10, 4-7 SEC)

• Mississippi State swept singles for the second consecutive match
• Niccolo Baroni played on court two for the first time in his career
• Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes secured his first clinch of the season
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes extended his singles winning streak to three matches
• Mario Martinez Serrano continued his strong run in singles, winning his fourth match in a row
• Benito Sanchez Martinez added his ninth ranked dual singles win of the season

Up Next
No. 6 Mississippi State travels to Fayetteville, Ark. to face No. 36 Arkansas at 5:30 p.m. CT on April 2^nd.

Match Results
Doubles
1. No. 24 Jack Loutit/Eli Stephenson (UK) def. Mario Martinez Serrano/Michal Novansky (MSST) – 6-3
2. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes/Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSST) vs. Nicolas Arseneault/Matt Rankin (UK) – 3-5 unf.
3. Martin Breysach/Jaden Weekes (UK) def. Niccolo Baroni/Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSST) – 6-3
Kentucky won the doubles point
Order of Finish: 3, 1*

Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSST) def. Eli Stephenson (UK) – 6-4, 6-2
2. Niccolo Baroni (MSST) vs. Nicolas Arseneault (UK) – 5-7, 7-6(1)
3. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSST) def. Jaden Weekes (UK) – 6-4, 6-2
4. Raphael Vaksmann (MSST) vs. Jack Loutit (UK) – 6(4)-7, 6-4, 2-1 unf.
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSST) def. Mikael Arseneault (UK) – 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
6. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSST) def. Matt Rankin (UK)* – 6-2, 5-7, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5, 6*
*Clincher

For more Information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.

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