Saturday, May 9
Starkville
12 p.m.
Mississippi State
4
vs
1
Georgia
Mississippi State Advances to NCAA Elite Eight with Super Regional Win Over Georgia
May 09, 2026 | Men's Tennis
STARKVILLE – With the pressure of a Super Regional and a trip to the Elite Eight hanging in the balance, No. 6 Mississippi State rose to the occasion once again, defeating No. 12 Georgia at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre to punch a ticket to Athens, Ga. and the NCAA Championship Final Site.
In front of another electric home crowd, the Bulldogs delivered a performance worthy of the moment. Fearless in doubles, relentless in singles, and composed when the stakes reached their highest point.
Mississippi State seized momentum immediately by capturing the doubles point for the third consecutive NCAA Tournament match. After Georgia struck first on Court 1, the Bulldogs answered emphatically. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Petar Jovanovic leveled doubles play with a clutch victory on Court 3. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni once again delivered under pressure, clinching the doubles point on Court 2.
From there, the Bulldogs never looked back.
The Bulldogs continued to apply pressure across the lineup as Bryan Hernandez Cortes added a dominant win on Court 6, extending his remarkable 12 game win streak and late-season surge and pushing Mississippi State within striking distance of the clinch.
With courts tightening and every point carrying Final Site implications, Mississippi State showed their composure. Raphael Vaksmann battled through a gritty performance on Court 5 to put the Bulldogs one point away from clinching.Â
Four years in the maroon and white led Benito Sanchez Martinez to a walk off moment at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre one final time and he made sure his final home match ended with a statement that echoed across Starkville.Â
After taking a tense opening set, Sanchez Martinez dug deep and outlasted No. 50 Arda Azkara in a tough battle, delivering the clinching moment that sent the Bulldogs to Athens and the NCAA Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.
The victory continued a dominant postseason run for Mississippi State, which protected home court throughout NCAA Regional and Super Regional play at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs now head to Athens with championship aspirations fully alive as one of the final eight teams remaining in the country.
RecordsÂ
No. 6 Mississippi State (25-5, 11-3 SEC)Â
No. 12 Georgia (20-9, 9-5 SEC)
Match Notes
• Mississippi State tied their all-time career wins record at 25 wins
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes secured his 12th consecutive singles win extending his career-long singles win streak.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez recorded his fifth dual match clinch of the season.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez, Petar Jovanovic, Michal Novansky, and Mario Martinez Serrano all played their final match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
• The Bulldogs are 13-1 in the Starkville regional all-time
•  State improved to 41-30 all-time in NCAA Tournament with the win
Up Next                                                                                              Â
No. 5 Mississippi State will face No. 4 Virginia at the NCAA Tournament Final Site in Athens, Ga.Â
Match Results
Doubles
1. Arda Azkara and Santiago Giamichelle (UGA) def. Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) – 6-1
2. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) def. Gabriele Vulpitta and Will Jansen (UGA) – 6-4*
3. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Derrick Chen and Noah Johnston (UGA) – 6-2
Mississippi State won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2*
Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Arda Azkara (UGA) – 6-4, 6-4*
2. Will Jansen (UGA) def. Petar Jovanovic (MSU) – 6-4, 6-4
3. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) vs. Santiago Giamichelle (UGA) – 6-3, 6-6 (3-0), unf.
4. Noah Johnston (UGA) vs. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) – 7-6(4), 5-3, unf.
5. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) def. Derrick Chen (UGA) – 6-4, 6-2
6. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Gabriele Vulpitta (UGA) – 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 5, 1*
*Clincher
For more Information on the Bulldog Men's Tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.Â
– HailState.com –
Â
In front of another electric home crowd, the Bulldogs delivered a performance worthy of the moment. Fearless in doubles, relentless in singles, and composed when the stakes reached their highest point.
Mississippi State seized momentum immediately by capturing the doubles point for the third consecutive NCAA Tournament match. After Georgia struck first on Court 1, the Bulldogs answered emphatically. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Petar Jovanovic leveled doubles play with a clutch victory on Court 3. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni once again delivered under pressure, clinching the doubles point on Court 2.
From there, the Bulldogs never looked back.
The Bulldogs continued to apply pressure across the lineup as Bryan Hernandez Cortes added a dominant win on Court 6, extending his remarkable 12 game win streak and late-season surge and pushing Mississippi State within striking distance of the clinch.
With courts tightening and every point carrying Final Site implications, Mississippi State showed their composure. Raphael Vaksmann battled through a gritty performance on Court 5 to put the Bulldogs one point away from clinching.Â
Four years in the maroon and white led Benito Sanchez Martinez to a walk off moment at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre one final time and he made sure his final home match ended with a statement that echoed across Starkville.Â
After taking a tense opening set, Sanchez Martinez dug deep and outlasted No. 50 Arda Azkara in a tough battle, delivering the clinching moment that sent the Bulldogs to Athens and the NCAA Elite Eight for the second consecutive season.
The victory continued a dominant postseason run for Mississippi State, which protected home court throughout NCAA Regional and Super Regional play at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre. The Bulldogs now head to Athens with championship aspirations fully alive as one of the final eight teams remaining in the country.
RecordsÂ
No. 6 Mississippi State (25-5, 11-3 SEC)Â
No. 12 Georgia (20-9, 9-5 SEC)
Match Notes
• Mississippi State tied their all-time career wins record at 25 wins
• Bryan Hernandez Cortes secured his 12th consecutive singles win extending his career-long singles win streak.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez recorded his fifth dual match clinch of the season.
• Benito Sanchez Martinez, Petar Jovanovic, Michal Novansky, and Mario Martinez Serrano all played their final match at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre
• The Bulldogs are 13-1 in the Starkville regional all-time
•  State improved to 41-30 all-time in NCAA Tournament with the win
Up Next                                                                                              Â
No. 5 Mississippi State will face No. 4 Virginia at the NCAA Tournament Final Site in Athens, Ga.Â
Match Results
Doubles
1. Arda Azkara and Santiago Giamichelle (UGA) def. Benito Sanchez Martinez and Michal Novansky (MSU) – 6-1
2. Mario Martinez Serrano and Niccolo Baroni (MSU) def. Gabriele Vulpitta and Will Jansen (UGA) – 6-4*
3. Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Petar Jovanovic (MSU) def. Derrick Chen and Noah Johnston (UGA) – 6-2
Mississippi State won the Doubles Point
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2*
Singles
1. Benito Sanchez Martinez (MSU) def. Arda Azkara (UGA) – 6-4, 6-4*
2. Will Jansen (UGA) def. Petar Jovanovic (MSU) – 6-4, 6-4
3. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) vs. Santiago Giamichelle (UGA) – 6-3, 6-6 (3-0), unf.
4. Noah Johnston (UGA) vs. Mario Martinez Serrano (MSU) – 7-6(4), 5-3, unf.
5. Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) def. Derrick Chen (UGA) – 6-4, 6-2
6. Bryan Hernandez Cortes (MSU) def. Gabriele Vulpitta (UGA) – 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 6, 2, 5, 1*
*Clincher
For more Information on the Bulldog Men's Tennis program, visit Hailstate.com or search for "HailstateMT" on X, Instagram and Facebook.Â
– HailState.com –
Â
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
Arda Azkara / 0 (50/-) [UGA]
44
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Will Jansen / 0 (36/-) [UGA]
66
44
#3 Singles Match
123
Santiago Giamichelle / 0 (81/-) [UGA]
36UF
66UF
#4 Singles Match
123
Noah Johnston / 0 [UGA]
75UF
63UF
#5 Singles Match
12
Derrick Chen / 0 [UGA]
42
66
#6 Singles Match
12
Gabriele Vulpitta / 0 [UGA]
23
66
Order of Finish:
6,2,5,1
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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