Down one of its top players in Nemanja Malesevic, Mississippi State gutted out a 4-3 road victory over Memphis to end a three-match losing streak Wednesday afternoon.
The Bulldogs’ No. 2 doubles pairing of Carles Hernandez and Dusan Milanovic won its match 6-3, but the Tigers were victorious on the other two doubles courts to take the opening point. Hernandez evened the overall score with a dominant win at No. 2 singles, defeating his opponent 6-3, 6-1, and at No. 4, Benito Sanchez Martinez took the first set, dropped the second set without winning a game but rebounded to win the third 6-3 to give MSU the lead.
Radomir Tomic fell in straight sets at No. 5, but Petar Jovanovic put the Bulldogs on the brink of victory at No. 1 by coming back from a set down in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win. Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes dropped his match in three sets at No. 6, putting everything on the shoulders of Milanovic at No. 3.
Milanovic fell behind after losing the first set in a tiebreak, but cruised through the next two sets, winning 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-1.
“We knew today would be a battle and playing without (Malesevic) was going to be a challenge,” MSU head coach Matt Roberts said. “The boys rallied and showed a lot of resilience throughout the match. … This win gives the boys some positive feedback for their hard work these last two weeks. We will keep digging.”
The Bulldogs (5-3) return home for a pair of matches this weekend against North Florida on Friday and Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday.
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