(UW ATHLETICS) STARKSVILLE, MISS – The No. 33 Wisconsin men’s tennis team fell to No. 5 Mississippi State on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Wisconsin fought until the end, but couldn’t overcome dominant play from the tournament’s fifth overall seed. Wisconsin concludes a memorable 18-win season that saw the Badgers make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
In Saturday’s action in Starkville, Mississippi claimed the match’s first point by winning at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Wisconsin’s No. 1 pair of Ferdinand Kloesters and Michael Minasyan held a 4-3 lead before the match was unfinished with the decided doubles point.
In singles play, Mississippi State kept control, building leads early on. The Bulldogs posted wins at No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 to win the match.
In his final match as a Badger, No. 64 Michael Minasyan held a lead over No. 13 Petar Jovanovic after winning the first set. The match was unfinished at 6-4, 2-1.
With the loss, the Badgers finished historic season that featured 18 total wins (18-8), the program’s most since 2017. The Badgers reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and for the fifth time in program history.
Wisconsin 0, Mississippi State 4
Doubles vs. Mississippi State
#1 Michal Novansky/Be Sanchez Martinez (MSST) vs. Ferdinand Kloesters/Michael Minasyan (WIS), 3-4 UNF
#2 Niccolo Baroni/Ma Martinez Serrano (MSST) def. Edouard Aubert/Tomas Zlatohlavek, 6-3
#3 Br Hernandez Cortes/Petar Jovanovic (MSST) def. Matthew Fullerton/Patrik Meszaros, 6-4
Singles vs. Mississippi State
#1 No. 9 Be Sanchez Martinez (MSST) def. Patrik Meszaros (WIS), 6-3, 6-0
#2 No. 64 Michael Minasyan (WIS) vs. Petar Jovanovic (MSST), 6-4, 2-1, UNF
#3 No. 92 Niccolo Baroni (MSST) vs. Ferdinand Kloesters (WIS), 6-3, 4-2 UNF
#4 No. 65 Ma Matrinez Serrano (MSST) def. Edouard Aubert (WIS), 6-1, 6-4
#5 Raphael Vaksmann (MSST) vs. Tomas Zlatohlavek (WIS), 2-6, 3-4, UNF
#6 No. 120 Br Hernandez Cortes (MSST) def. Sachiv Kumar (WIS) 6-3, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6, 1, 4)
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