The No. 7-ranked Mississippi State men’s tennis team kept its perfect start to 2026 rolling with wins over Illinois and Indiana last weekend. The Bulldogs (4-0) took down Illinois 5-2 in Champaign on Friday before recording a 6-1 win over the Hoosiers in Bloomington two days later.
The Bulldogs surprisingly struggled in the doubles matchup, with Indiana picking up a point thanks to an upset of the No. 2 ranked duo of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez-Martinez, but the team responded with its first sweep in singles matchups this season.
The win marked the 216th career win for head coach Matt Roberts, who is now tied for second all-time and five wins away from holding the most career wins in program history.
The productive weekend on the road also saw Sanchez Martinez pick up the SEC Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week award. He is the top singles player in the Bulldog lineup with a 3-1 record, and now holds wins against No. 10 Kenta Miyoshi and No. 105 Sam Landau.
Weather permitting, the Bulldogs are scheduled to face Santa Clara on Saturday for their first spring match in Starkville. The squad will face either Auburn or Alabama the following day.
Freshman nabs conference honor
Mississippi State’s Thessy Ntondele Zinga has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week after her performance against UAB and Samford last weekend.
The French native earned the honor after a standout debut weekend, going 4-0 in her first collegiate dual match doubleheader as the Bulldogs opened the spring slate at the Rula Tennis Pavilion.
Ntondele Zinga played a key role in securing the doubles point in both matches, pairing with returners Emma Cohen and Chiara Di Genova to help Mississippi State take early momentum in each contest.
In singles play, the freshman collected her first collegiate victory against UAB, earning a 6-1, 6-4 win from the No. 3 position. Later in the afternoon, Ntondele Zinga delivered a dominant performance at the top of the lineup, holding her Samford opponent to just one game per set while competing at the No. 1 spot.
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