Gamecocks Narrowly Fall to Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 18 South Carolina men’s tennis team fell 3-4 to No. 20 Mississippi State on the road Sunday afternoon in a tightly contested matchup.

The Bulldogs jumped to an early lead that started with the No. 4 duo in the NCAA Peter Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez dominantly defeating No. 15 Lucas da Silva and Connor Thomson 6-1, snapping the Gamecocks’ eight-match winning streak. Sean Daryabeigi and Casey Hoole responded for the Garnet & Black, overcoming a 2-3 deficit to win 6-4 from line No. 3. The doubles point came down to No. 84 Atakan Karahan and Jelani Sarr who battled hard but ultimately dropped their match 4-6 to provide Mississippi State with the first point of the match.

In singles, the Gamecocks fought back with strong performances from Thomson, Karahan and Daryabeigi. No. 54 Thomson delivered a straight set victory over No. 117 Niccolo Baroni 6-4, 7-6(7), while Karahan earned a 7-6(5), 6-2 win at the No. 5 position. Daryabeigi pushed through and remained resilient in a marathon match at No. 4, ultimately edging out Dusan Milanovic in a third-set tiebreak, 7-6(5), 6(2)-7, 1-0 (12-10).

Despite comeback efforts from Hoole, Mississippi State clinched the match thanks to a three-set win from No. 38 Benito Sanchez Martinez over the Gamecock, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. The Bulldogs picked up key victories at lines 2 and 6 with No. 100 Jovanovic defeating Lucas da Silva 6-2, 7-5, and R. Ferrer Guimaraes topping Gabe Avram 6-3, 6-2.

The Gamecocks will look to bounce back next weekend during their Texas tour, starting with a 7:00 p.m. (ET) match on Fri., March 28 at Texas A&M.

For the latest South Carolina men’s tennis information, continue to follow GamecocksOnline.com or the team on social media (@GamecockMTennis).

(18) South Carolina 3, (20) Mississippi State 4

Doubles (order of finish:1,3,2)

1. #4 Peter Jovanovic/B. Sanchez Martinez (MS) def. #15 Lucas da Silva/Connor Thomson (SC) 6-1
2. #39 Niccolo Baroni/M. Martinez (MS) def. #84 Atakan Karahan/Jelani Sarr (SC) 6-4
3. Sean Daryabeigi/Casey Hoole (SC) def. Dusan Milanovic/Michael Novansky (MS) 6-4

Singles (order of finish: 6,2,5,3,1,4)

1. #38 B. Sanchez Martinez (MS) def. Casey Hoole (SC) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
2. #100 Petar Jovanovic (MS) def. Lucas da Silva (SC) 6-2, 7-5
3. #54 Connor Thomson (SC) def. #117 Niccolo Baroni (MS) 6-4, 7-6(7)
4. #82 Sean Daryabeigi (SC) def. Dusan Milanovic (MS) 7-6(5), 6(2)-7, 1-0 (12-10)
5. Atakan Karahan (SC) def. Dusan Milanovic (MS) 7-6(5), 6-2
6. Ferrer Guimaraes (MS) def. Gabe Avram (SC) 6-3, 6-2