STARKVILLE, Miss. – Santa Clara men's tennis doubles tandem of Luca Bluett and John Kim defeated the nation's No. 2 doubles team of Petar Jovanovic and Benito Sanchez, 6-4, to secure the doubles point but the Broncos lost 4-1 to the seventh-ranked Mississippi State on Friday night at the ITA Kickoff Weekend tournament. Bluett and Kim continued their strong play from the fall season when they became the first-ever Bronco men's tennis players to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.
The ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Mississippi State region started a day earlier than scheduled due to inclement weather in the forecast.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Mississippi State (5-0) featured a singles lineup with five nationally ranked players. No. 54 Benito Sanchez clinched the match atop the lineup, defeating Alexander Watanabe Eriksson 6-4, 6-1.
- Santa Clara (2-1) took the first point of the match when Tiago Boschmans and Luca Lemaitre downed Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez 6-3 on court two, followed by the doubles point clincher by Bluett and Kim on court one.
- The Broncos couldn't carry their doubles point win momentum to the singles round as the Bulldogs picked up two quick victories on courts five and four from No. 125 Raphael Vaksmann and No. 37 Martinez. They dropped just three games between them to put the Bulldogs up 2-1 on the team scoreboard.
- Baroni followed up with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Kim on court three for MSU's third singles victory, prior to Sanchez's clincher.
RESULTS:
#7 Mississippi State 4, Santa Clara 1
1/23/2026 at Starkville, Miss. (Rula Tennis Pavilion)
Singles competition
1. #54 Benito Sanchez (MSU) def. Alexander W Eriksson (SCUMTEN) 6-4, 6-1
2. #13 Petar Jovanovic (MSU) vs. Luca Lemaitre (SCUMTEN) 5-7, 4-2, unfinished
3. Niccolo Baroni (MSU) def. John Kim (SCUMTEN) 6-2, 6-1
4. #37 Mario Martinez (MSU) def. Lukas Maskow (SCUMTEN) 6-0, 6-2
5. #125 Raphael Vaksmann (MSU) def. Valentin Faure (SCUMTEN) 6-1, 6-0
6. #34 Bryan Hernandez (MSU) vs. Luca Bluett (SCUMTEN) 6-2, 5-6, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Luca Bluett/John Kim (SCUMTEN) def. #2 Petar Jovanovic/Benito Sanchez (MSU) 6-4
2. Tiago Boschmans/Luca Lemaitre (SCUMTEN) def. Niccolo Baroni/Mario Martinez (MSU) 6-3
3. Bryan Hernandez/Michal Novansky (MSU) def. Valentin Faure/Ferran Redza (SCUMTEN) 6-0
Match Notes
Santa Clara 2-1
Mississippi State 5-0; National ranking #7
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,4,3,1)
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