BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 7 LSU was unable to rally today against No. 6 Mississippi State, getting downed 6-1 at the LSU Tennis Complex.
LSU moves to 20-4 and 6-3 in SEC play, while Mississippi State improves to 16-3, 7-2 in conference play.
“It was a tough day,” said head coach Danny Bryan. “We certainly didn’t play our best, but I think a lot of that has to do with the level at which Mississippi State played. They were tough, and their level didn’t drop much, whereas I felt like we were a little bit more up and down emotionally, and that was the difference. We had a little stretch where we started to play back, which I was proud of, but it wasn’t enough.”
Sasa Markovic and Andrej Loncarevic took on the top court, facing their highest-ranked opponent of the season in No. 4 Benito Sanchez Martinez and Petar Jovanovic. After settling in by splitting the opening games, the Tiger duo landed the opening blow with the first break of the match at 2-1. They defended it with strong serves throughout the middle stages, playing formidable tennis against a top national team. With a 4-2 lead, Markovic and Loncarevic delivered the decisive breaker at 5-2, riding to the end of the set to close it 6-2. The Tiger pair earned their best win of the season in commanding fashion, logging their 10th win of the season.
On court three, Enzo Kohlmann and Olaf Pieczkowski battled Bryan Hernandez Cortes and Niccolo Baroni in a match that proved challenging from the early stages. Each team held its opening service games before the Bulldogs raced to a three-game margin at 4-1. The Tiger duo regained their footing to stay within reach at 4-2. The score advanced to 5-3, and although Kohlmann and Pieczkowski fought almost to get back on serve, it wasn’t enough to prevent Cortes and Baroni from closing out the set, 6-3. The deciding match for doubles fell on court two.
At the second spot, No. 42 Erik Arutiunian and Matias Ponce de Leon matched up with Mario Martinez Serrano and Michal Novansky in a tightly contested start. The Tigers jumped out in front early with a break in the first game of the match to take a 1-0 lead. However, their opponents fired right back with consecutive games to take a 2-1 edge. The set stayed competitive through the middle stages, with the Tigers keeping it close until they trailed 4-3. Here, Serrano and Novansky notched a late break to create the necessary separation to eventually wrap up the set, 6-3. LSU trailed Mississippi State, 1-0, going into singles play.
Markovic entered court five in a duel with ranked No. 123 Raphael Vaksmann. After the two traded a pair of early holds, Markovic dropped serve to fall behind 3-2. However, he quickly answered with a break of his own to level the set at 3-3. They continued to trade blows as they approached the closing stages of the set; ultimately, Vaksmann pulled ahead late with a break at 5-4 before he closed the match, 6-4. The Bulldog carried his momentum into the second set, giving Markovic a hard time from the start as he suffered a break in the opening game. Vaksmann ran away with the match from there, extending the gap to four games after continuing to dominate, reaching 4-0. Markovic worked to get on the board at 4-1, but Vaksmann closed it out, winning back-to-back games to wrap the second set, 6-1. LSU fell to a 2-0 deficit against Mississippi State.
No. 24 Erik Arutiunian stepped onto the second court to face No. 6 Jovanovic in a high-level ranked showdown. The match opened with multiple momentum swings; after Arutiunian opened with a hold, three consecutive breaks were pitched as the Belarus native came out in front, 4-1. Jovanovic was able to work his way back into the set, however, reeling off three straight to level the score at 4-4. Both players were able to hold the remainder of their serves, leading the set into a tiebreak after reaching 6-6. Jovanovic gave himself an early cushion with a 4-2 lead at the switch. He continued his run, rattling off the final three points to end the first set, 7-6(2). The Bulldog lost no energy heading into the second set, applying pressure from the jump. He earned an early break to advance the score to 3-0 before Arutiunian got on the board at 3-1. Although the Belarus native posed a threat down the stretch, it wasn’t enough to throw Jovanovic off his service games, as he comfortably wrapped up the second set, 6-3. LSU was down 3-0 against Mississippi State.
A back-and-forth battle ensued on court four between Alessio Vasqeuz and No. 62 Martinez Serrano. Vasquez got off to a hot start, getting consecutive breaks under his belt to take a convincing 3-0 lead and set the tone. Martinez Serrano clawed his way back to bring the score to 3-2, but it was not enough to throw Vasquez off his game as he maintained his cushion at 4-2. From there, he won two of the next three games to take a one-set lead over the Bulldog, winning 6-3. The following set proved to be more of a challenge, with momentum swings on both ends. Vasquez saw an early 2-0 lead slip once Martinez Serrano found his footing, leveling the scoreline at 3-3. As the set approached the closing stages, Martinez Serrano pitched the decisive break at 5-4 that set him up to serve for the set, taking it 6-4. In the final set, Vasquez forged ahead with another 2-0 lead to begin, but quickly saw it wiped away. Martinez Serrano found another gear and never let up, imposing his will on the remainder of the match as he reeled off six-straight games to take the decider, 6-2. He clinched the match for the Bulldogs at 4-0 over the Tigers.
With the rest of the matches playing out, Loncarevic finished his exciting bout at the third spot against No. 68 Baroni. The match opened with the Bulldog taking initial control, racing to a 3-0 lead before Loncarevic was able to get on the board at 3-1. Baroni went on another three-game run to wrap the opening set, 6-1. Looking to respond, the French native flipped the script from the start, capturing an early break to build a 3-0 lead. He controlled the tempo and kept Baroni on the defensive. Fending off a brief pushback at 3-2, Loncarevic kicked it up a notch and rattled off three games in a row to force a decider, closing the second set 6-2. In the third set, it looked like Baroni would resume his play from the opener, storming to a 3-0 lead after an emotional first three games. This time, Loncarevic never let it get out of control. He found his flow and logged four straight games before Baroni tied it at 4-4. He took over in the end, capping off his comeback with consecutive games to win the decider, 6-4. Loncarevic put LSU on the board, trailing Mississippi State 4-1. With his second ranked win of the season, he moved his record to 12-5, with a 5-3 conference mark.
No. 29 Pieczkowski squared off with No. 35 Sánchez Martinez on court one in a tightly contested ranked battle from the start. After each player settled in, Pieczkowski struck first with an early break to move ahead 2-1 and built on it with solid play to take a 4-2 advantage. Sanchez Martinez got his way back into it during the middle stages, bringing the score to a 4-4 stalemate before the set entered a tiebreak upon reaching 6-6. Pieczkowski fell behind 6-2 on the brink of losing the first set. However, he showed resilience, erasing the deficit by stringing together six points to take the breaker and claim the opening set, 7-6(6). The following set shifted momentum with Sanchez Martinez putting the Polish native on his heels from the start, grabbing the first break to move ahead 2-0. Pieczkowski stayed within striking distance and even found a late break down the stretch, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. Sanchez Martinez held firm, taking the set, 6-4. In the deciding ten-point tiebreak, the Bulldog carried that momentum to gain an early 4-2 cushion at the switch. Pieczkowski was unable to rediscover his mojo as Sanchez Martinez controlled the rest of the way, closing the decisive tiebreak, 10-3. LSU, 1, Mississippi State, 5.
On the sixth court, once more, was Ponce de Leon, facing No. 97 Hernandez Cortes in a match that had dramatic swings set by set. Cortes made it difficult for the Tiger in the opening frame, capturing the first five games before Ponce de Leon made his presence known. It was too late to make any big moves as the Bulldog took the first set, 6-1. Ponce de Leon gained rhythm in the second set, however, writing a completely different story. He matched his opponent game-for-game this time before he eventually forced a tiebreak at 6-6 after staying steady throughout. With the crowd behind him, he jumped to an early 3-0 lead and refused to let it slip. He maintained control and closed it out 7-6(5) to level the match. In the final set, Ponce de Leon carried that energy and captured a break in the second game to eventually take a 3-1 lead. The two-game cushion continued through the middle stages, but Hernandez Cortes responded late to bring it to a 4-4 stalemate. The set remained undecided until it entered a tiebreak at 6-6. This time, it was Hernandez Cortes who took the upper hand. He built an early 4-2 lead and refused to let it slip, riding the wave until a 7-3 conclusion. LSU was downed by Mississippi State, 6-1.
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Mississippi State vs LSU
Mar 22, 2026 at Baton Rouge, La.
LSU Tennis Complex
#6 Mississippi State 6, #7 LSU 1
Singles competition
1. #35 Benito Martinez (MISS) def. #29 Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 1-0 (10-3)
2. #6 Petar Jovanovic (MISS) def. #24 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) 7-6 (7-2), 6-3
3. Andrej Loncarevic (LSU) def. #68 Niccolo Baroni (MISS) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. #62 Mario Serrano (MISS) def. Alessio Vasquez (LSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
5. #123 Raphael Vaksmann (MISS) def. Sasa Markovic (LSU) 6-4, 6-1
6. #97 Bryan Cortes (MISS) def. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3)
Doubles competition
1. Andrej Loncarevic/Sasa Markovic (LSU) def. #4 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Martinez (MISS) 6-2
2. Mario Serrano/Michael Novansky (MISS) def. #42 Erik Arutiunian/Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) 6-3
3. Bryan Cortes/Niccolo Baroni (MISS) def. Enzo Kohlmann/Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) 6-3
Match Notes:
Mississippi State 16-3; National ranking #6
LSU 20-4; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,2,4,3,1,6)
Official: Ritchie Weaver