Mississippi State’s men’s tennis team competed in its first masters event of the season.
The MSU netmen continued fall competition at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-American Hardcourt Championships in Chattanooga, Tenn.
The raqueteering began Friday with prequalifying competition. The prequalies consisted of 196 singles players and 128 doubles teams.
Newcomers Jordan Jones and Josh Irey and veteran Florent Girod hit the courts in singles action. Girod and Irey also tried to advance on the doubles circuit as well.
The Bulldogs dynamic duo of Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto got a prequalifying exemption due to their national ITA ranking.
Irey opened the competition with a win over Karl Jones of Nebraska. Both players split the opening two sets. Despite Jones gaining a 5-2 lead in the final match, Irey battled back from behind to win the match 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6).
Irey faced Texas Tech’s Bojan Szumanski in the second round, but Szumanski defaulted his match, which gave Irey a break before Saturday’s third round with Lee Gregg of Oklahoma.
No matter how superstitious the young Bulldog might have been, the third time would not prove to be the charm. Irey got eliminated by Gregg 6-4, 6-0.
In other prequalifying singles events, Girod and Jones were both defeated in straight sets in the first matches of the tournament.
Girod, who received a first-round bye in the morning, dropped a 6-4, 6-3 decision to Daniel Jung of San Diego State in the second round. Jones was the victim of Texas-San Antonio’s Dennis Andrade in the first round by a score of 6-3, 7-5.
Girod and Irey dropped an 8-1 decision in doubles competition to San Diego State’s tandem of Armando Carrascosa and Daniel Jung in their first match of that field. The Bulldogs received a first-round bye and reached the third round due to a walkover in the second round.
In the opening qualifying round, MSU players Carvalho and Pinto both eganged in singles competition.
Pinto, who ranks 110th nationally, opened play against Jeff Groslimond of Florida State, while Carvalho would meet Ohio State’s Scott Green.
Both Bulldogs would find themselves in trouble early on in their respective matches.
Pinto was down early 5-2 in the first set, but staved off a match point a rally to defeat Groslimond 7-5, 6-4.
Carvalho dropped his first set in a tiebreaker by a score of 6-7(4). Even though he was down, Carvalho was not out. He rallied to defeat Green in a three-set match 6-7 4 6-2, 6-3.
“Luiz and Jose both did a good job today,” head coach Sylvain Guichard said. “They both worked hard to get back into their matches after getting down early.”
Both remaining Bulldogs will continue competition throughout the week in singles, as well as begin doubles play.