Sunday, April 19
Bryan-College Station, Texas
12 p.m.
Mississippi State
2
vs
4
Texas
No. 6 Mississippi State Falls to No. 1 Texas in SEC Championship
April 19, 2026 | Men's Tennis
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The championship run came up just short for the No. 6 Bulldogs, as they fell 4-2 to top-ranked Texas in the SEC Championship on Sunday at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
Texas took early control by securing the doubles point with wins on courts two and three, putting the Bulldogs behind heading into singles play.
Mississippi State responded with strong performances taking five of six first sets. No. 123 Bryan Hernandez Cortes put the Dawgs on the board with a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 93 Abel Forger on court five, tying the match at one all.
No. 7 Benito Sanchez Martinez delivered a statement win on court one, defeating No. 3 Sebastian Gorzny in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4 to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage.
However, Texas proved to be too deep down the stretch. The Longhorns captured three hard-fought singles matches, including a comeback win on court two and a decisive three-set victory on court six to clinch the title.
Despite the loss, Mississippi State finished an impressive tournament run with a 22-5 record and a runner-up finish in the SEC marking the program's strongest showing in the conference championship since 2019.
The Bulldogs now turn their focus to the NCAA Tournament, carrying momentum from a statement postseason performance.
Records
No. 6 Mississippi State (21-5, 11-3 SEC)
No. 1 Texas (24-6, 12-2 SEC)
Match Notes
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes secured his ninth consecutive singles win.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez earned his first top-3 singles victory of the season.
• Mississippi State's highest conference championship finish since 2019.
Up Next
No. 6 Mississippi State will turn their attention to Apr. 27th where they find out their NCAA Tournament seed.
Match Results
Doubles
1. Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) vs. Abel Forger and Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) – 4-3 unf.
2. Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau (TEX) def. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 6-2
3. Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) def. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) – 6-3*
Texas won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 2, 3*
Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) – 6-2, 6-4
2. Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) def. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) – 6-2, 6-2
4. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) vs. Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) – 6-4, 6-6 (6-7) unf.
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Abel Forger (TEX) – 6-3, 6-4
6. Lucas Marionneau (TEX) vs. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) – 2-6, 7-5, 6-1*
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3, 2, 6*
*Clincher
For more Information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
– HailState.com –
Texas took early control by securing the doubles point with wins on courts two and three, putting the Bulldogs behind heading into singles play.
Mississippi State responded with strong performances taking five of six first sets. No. 123 Bryan Hernandez Cortes put the Dawgs on the board with a solid 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 93 Abel Forger on court five, tying the match at one all.
No. 7 Benito Sanchez Martinez delivered a statement win on court one, defeating No. 3 Sebastian Gorzny in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4 to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 advantage.
However, Texas proved to be too deep down the stretch. The Longhorns captured three hard-fought singles matches, including a comeback win on court two and a decisive three-set victory on court six to clinch the title.
Despite the loss, Mississippi State finished an impressive tournament run with a 22-5 record and a runner-up finish in the SEC marking the program's strongest showing in the conference championship since 2019.
The Bulldogs now turn their focus to the NCAA Tournament, carrying momentum from a statement postseason performance.
Records
No. 6 Mississippi State (21-5, 11-3 SEC)
No. 1 Texas (24-6, 12-2 SEC)
Match Notes
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes secured his ninth consecutive singles win.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez earned his first top-3 singles victory of the season.
• Mississippi State's highest conference championship finish since 2019.
Up Next
No. 6 Mississippi State will turn their attention to Apr. 27th where they find out their NCAA Tournament seed.
Match Results
Doubles
1. Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) vs. Abel Forger and Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) – 4-3 unf.
2. Sebastian Gorzny and Lucas Marionneau (TEX) def. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 6-2
3. Sebastian Eriksson and Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) def. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) – 6-3*
Texas won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 2, 3*
Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Sebastian Gorzny (TEX) – 6-2, 6-4
2. Kalin Ivanovski (TEX) def. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) – 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Sebastian Eriksson (TEX) def. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) – 6-2, 6-2
4. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) vs. Oliver Ojakaar (TEX) – 6-4, 6-6 (6-7) unf.
5. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Abel Forger (TEX) – 6-3, 6-4
6. Lucas Marionneau (TEX) vs. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes (MSU) – 2-6, 7-5, 6-1*
Order of Finish: 5, 1, 3, 2, 6*
*Clincher
For more Information on the Bulldog women's tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.
– HailState.com –
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
12
4UF
Abel Forger/ Kalin Ivanovski [TEX]
3UF
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
1
3
Sebastian Eriksson/ Oliver Ojakaar (40/-) [TEX]
6
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Sebastian Gorzny / 0 (3/-) [TEX]
24
#2 Singles Match
123
634
Kalin Ivanovski / 0 (34/-) [TEX]
366
#3 Singles Match
12
54
Sebastian Eriksson / 0 (46/-) [TEX]
76
#4 Singles Match
123
66UF
Oliver Ojakaar / 0 [TEX]
46UF
#5 Singles Match
12
66
Abel Forger / 0 (93/-) [TEX]
34
#6 Singles Match
123
651
Lucas Marionneau / 0 [TEX]
276
Order of Finish:
5,1,3,2,6
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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