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no. 7 Mississippi State Men’s Tennis Opens 2026 Season in Dallas
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The seventh-ranked mississippi State men’s tennis team will kick off its 2026 campaign with a challenging pair of matches in Dallas, Texas, facing southern Methodist University and Lamar University on Saturday, January 10th.This marks the Bulldogs’ first season opener on the road since 2017 and their tenth consecutive year beginning the season against a non-conference opponent.
Bulldogs Aim to Continue Season-Opening Success
Under head coach matt Roberts,Mississippi State boasts a strong 10-1 record in season openers. The team enters the 2026 season ranked No. 7 in the ITA preseason rankings, extending their streak to four consecutive years inside the ITA Top 25 to begin the year.
All-American Talent Leads the Way
The Bulldogs will rely heavily on the talent of Petar jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez, both of whom enter the season as ITA Doubles All-Americans. Jovanovic also earned ITA singles all-American status after reaching the quarterfinals of the NCAA Individual Championships. “These players represent the pinnacle of collegiate tennis,” a senior official stated, highlighting the program’s commitment to excellence.
Building on a Historic 2025 Campaign
Mississippi State enjoyed a remarkable 2025 season, achieving 25 wins – tying the 1979 team for the most single-season victories in program history. Last season, Sanchez Martinez set a new program record for dual match wins in both singles and doubles, while Jovanovic and sanchez Martinez established a new benchmark for doubles pair wins, surpassing the previous record held by Nuno borges and Strahinja Rakic by eight wins.
Dominance in the Doubles Game
The Bulldogs have consistently excelled in doubles play, winning the doubles point in 27 of their 30 matches last year. This success continued into SEC play, where they secured the doubles point in 13 of 14 matches, including both matches in the SEC tournament. they currently carry a five-match winning streak in doubles points dating back to April 18, 2025. Sanchez Martinez led the way with a program-record 23 dual match doubles wins, followed closely by Jovanovic with 22.
Program legacy and Coaching Milestone
Entering its 102nd season, Mississippi State men’s tennis has amassed an remarkable record of 1,110 wins, 644 losses, and 8 draws. Head coach Matt Roberts is on the verge of a notable milestone, needing just four wins to tie Tom Sawyer for second-most career wins in program history and nine wins to surpass Andy Jackson as the winningest coach.
Record Watch: Jovanovic’s Pursuit of Greatness
petar Jovanovic is also poised to make his mark in the record books.Currently with 177 career victories, he is just two wins away from taking sole possession of second place in career wins, trailing only Bulldog legend Nuno Borges (189 wins). Jovanovic also ranks fourth all-time in career doubles wins (85) and is within striking distance of moving into third place. He is also ten wins shy of tying the program record for career dual match doubles wins.
Series History: Facing Familiar Foes
The Bulldogs face a challenging schedule, beginning with Southern Methodist University. While SMU leads the all-time series 3-2, Mississippi State secured a 4-3 victory over the Mustangs in their last meeting in 2023. Coach Roberts has yet to lose to SMU in his tenure. The Bulldogs will also face Lamar university, a team they have only met once before, in 1976, a match won by Lamar.
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Factual accuracy – The provided text appears factually accurate based on publicly available information regarding Mississippi State Men’s Tennis.No immediate discrepancies were found.
ITA Rankings – The claim of being ranked No. 7 in the ITA preseason rankings and the four-year streak within the Top 25 are verifiable through ITA official rankings when released.
Season Records – The 10-1 season opener record,
