STARKVILLE — The clues for Niclas Braun’s playing style were evident from birth. All he had to do was look at his twin sister.

Niclas and his sister, Janina, went through the youth ranks in their native Germany to become tennis players at Mississippi State. Every step of the way, and to this day, Janina was taller than Niclas and had physical advantages on her competition Niclas didn’t, so Niclas had to find a different way to win.

Niclas Braun’s maturation has helped him earn the No. 4 spot in the lineup for No. 6 seed MSU (22-2), which will take on No. 11 Texas (19-6) at 11 a.m. Friday in the Round of 16 of the NCAA tournament in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on the campus of Wake Forest. A win would send MSU to the Elite Eight, where it would face the winner of the match between No. 3 Ohio State and Minnesota on Sunday.

“For him to beat guys from an early age in Germany, he had to find other ways to impose himself out there, and the biggest way is with his fight, his determination, his fight to make one more ball than his opponent, his grit and his will to win,” MSU coach Matt Roberts said. “He can break you down mentally just from how tough he plays every point. He discourages his opponents by how intense and how much of a presence he has on the court. Over time, he gets them to break down and doubt themselves.”

Braun, a junior, takes pride in the identity he has created for himself. He isn’t sure his size (5-foot-10) is the only factor in creating it.

“I’m one that’s a fighter. I’m not a hard-hitter. (I compete) hard (and don’t) give up (and) go after every ball,” Braun said. “It’s the way I grew up on clay (courts). You have to work every point.”

Braun hasn’t had to grind out every match. He is undefeated in singles and doubles in the NCAA tournament after a spring that started with an 11-1 run in singles.

“He survives with toughness, but now he has more weapons,” Roberts said. “Now we’re adding some weapons to his game where he can play bigger, serve bigger. The forehand is very heavy and he can get to the net really well.”

Braun’s success with Giovanni Oradini in doubles has added to his singles arsenal, as the net play required in doubles has given him more confidence. The winning has helped, too. Braun and Oradini are ranked 38th in the nation.

With all that success and the reputation Braun has earned, Roberts said it is comforting to know the Bulldogs can count on him at No. 4.

“We feel like he’s going to win a high percentage of matches because the guys that play 4, 5 and 6, they don’t often have the power to overpower opponents,” Roberts said. “They have to grind, give you time and rally, and not many people are going to be able to push Nic around and beat him. He’s going to get pushed against the top-10 teams in the nation, but anybody outside of the top 10 I feel really good about him being a consistent point for us.”

Alabama vs. Texas A&M

The No. 42 Alabama men’s tennis team will take on No. 5 Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Friday in the Round of 16 at the Leighton Family Courts at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.

Alabama (20-12) is making its first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2007. Alabama secured its fourth appearance in the Round of 16 after defeating No. 23 Tulane and No. 11 Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional. Alabama is 0-3 all-time in the Round of 16.

The play of sophomore Alexey Nesterov has been a big part of Alabama’s recent success. Since postseason play began, Nesterov is 5-0 in singles and 5-0 in doubles matches with partner sophomore Thibault Cancel.

The Moscow, Russia native, leads the team with a 20-7 record in the dual match season.

Alabama has won the doubles point in 24 out of 32 matches so far this season, including winning its last five. The play of Nesterov/Cancel along with sophomore Zhe Zhou and partner Patrick Kaukovalta, who are also 5-0 in postseason competition, has led to the Crimson Tide’s doubles point winning streak.

In singles, No. 10 Mazen Osama is 4-0 in his last six singles matches. The first Alabama All-American since 2001 is 9-6 against nationally-ranked opponents will take on No. 5 Patrick Kypson, who Osama defeated earlier this season, 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3). Sophomore Edson Ortiz, a second-team All-SEC performer, is 18-6 in singles.

No. 5 Texas A&M (24-5) beat Alabama 5-2 on March 25 in College Station, Texas. Texas A&M beat Lamar 4-0 and No. 18 Baylor 4-1 at home to make its 14th Round of 16 appearance in program history. The Aggies have made the Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons, and three of the last four.

The winner will play the winner of the match between No. 13 Florida or No. 38 Ole Miss at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Ole Miss women fall

In a rematch from the National Team Indoor, the No. 5 seed Ole Miss women’s tennis team fell behind early to No. 12 seed UCLA in the NCAA Championships third round, but battled to get back in the match before coming up short in a 4-1 final here Thursday at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex.

The Rebels conclude their best season since 1999 with a 22-7 record.

Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson