Alabama men’s tennis fell in a 4-3 match to No. 11 Mississippi State on Sunday, moving to 14-11 on the season and 4-10 in SEC play.
It was Senior Day at the Alabama Tennis Stadium, and Zach Foster, Filip Planinsek, Enzo Aguiard and Damien Nezar were all honored before the match.
“The seniors have committed and given a lot to this program,” head coach George Husack said. “I’m forever grateful for their tireless effort, invaluable commitment, and impacting this program and my life.”
Foster and Planinsek kept their celebrations going into doubles, as the duo won 6-1 over the Bulldogs’ Niccolo Baroni and Mario Serrano.
Mississippi State quickly responded as Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez Martinez won 6-4 over Nezar and Andrii Zimnokh. But then Roan Jones and Matic Kriznik sealed the doubles point for the Crimson Tide with a 7-6 victory over Michal Novansky and Dusan Milanovic.
The Bulldogs started the singles with the edge, as Jovanovic dismantled Jones in two sets (6-1, 6-0). Then Mississippi State’s Bryan Hernandez Cortes followed it up by defeating Nezar in two sets (6-0, 6-3).
Kriznik got the momentum back on the Alabama side, defeating the Bulldogs’ Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes in two sets (6-1, 6-3). Zimnokh then put the Crimson Tide one point away from clinching the victory as he defeated Martinez Serrano in two sets (6-3, 6-4).
But Mississippi State rallied. Sanchez Martinez defeated Planinsek in three sets (6-4, 1-6, 6-3), knotting the score at 3 and setting up a winner-take-all match.
In the tiebreaker, the Bulldogs emerged victorious as Milanovic defeated Aguiard in an intense three-set showdown (4-6, 6-4, 7-6), helping Mississippi State go home the winner.
“We will use this battle today to provide further confidence in ourselves and take it all into the postseason,” Husack said. “Sure, it stings, but we don’t need ointment. Just another opportunity to get out there and respond.”
