Mississippi State University Team Page
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Coming off an impressive 4-2 victory against in-state rival No. 12 Ole Miss in the River Hills Cup Thursday night, the 10th-ranked Mississippi State men's tennis squad (5-0) will face a quick turnaround with a Sunday doubleheader.
Due to the threat of inclement weather, the start time for Sunday's first match against No. 53 South Alabama (2-2) has been moved up an hour to 10 a.m. CT, with the second match against Tennessee Tech (0-7) still slated to start at 5 p.m.
The Bulldogs will enter Sunday play having posted five ranked wins this season, four of them over top 30 opponents, with four true freshmen in the lineup.
State has found great success in singles play this season, with three players holding 5-0 records. No. 25 Romain Bogaerts, one of the rookies, has won four of those matches from the top spot in the lineup, including top 75 wins.
Also with 5-0 records are No. 81 junior Malte Stropp and freshman Jordan Angus. Stropp, who upset fifth-ranked Jonas Lutjen of Ole Miss Thursday, has won four of his matches in straight sets. Angus has also won four of his matches in straight sets, with the lone three-setter coming Thursday to clinch the Bulldogs' victory.
Rounding out singles play is senior James Chaudry and freshmen Stefan Vinti and Pedro Dumont.
In doubles, the Bulldogs bolster the 28th-ranked doubles squad in the nation of Angus and Stropp. The two have defeated two top 50 duos so far this season and hold a 4-1 record.
State's freshman doubles team of Bogaerts and Dumont stands at 3-0 in dual match play, including a doubles point clinching victory Thursday against the Ole Miss duo of Johan Backstrom and Stefan Lindmark. MSU's Zach White and Ethan Wilkinson have rounded out doubles play for the Bulldogs this season.
South Alabama's Daniel Leitner will lead the Jaguars into Starkville Sunday. The sophomore is 3-1 this season, with all wins coming at the No. 1 position.
Tennessee Tech will be led by senior Syrym Abdukhalikov, who has posted a 5-0 record in singles. The Golden Eagles' duo of Artem Tarasov and Vasily Eremeev own a 4-2 record in doubles for the 2013 campaign.
"South Alabama is ranked and a really good team, while Tennessee Tech has some talent, so we have our work cut out for us," head coach Per Nilsson said.
With inclement weather a concern for Sunday's doubleheader, matches could be moved indoors to State's McCarthy Gymnasium. For weather and score updates for Mississippi State men's tennis, follow the Bulldogs on Twitter (www.twitter.com/mstatemt) and on Facebook (www.facebook.com/mstatemt).