At this time last season, two Mississippi State tennis players paired up for the first time on the double’s circuit. After some hard fought matches and a few upset victories, they now enter this season having earned national respect.
According to the pre-season rankings published by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Luiz Carvalho and Jose-Carlos Pinto will enter the 2004-2005 campaign ranked 13th in the nation.
“Luiz and Jose played some great tennis together last year, especially considering they were together for the first time,” said head coach Sylvain Guichard. “They are being rewarded for that this season. Being Top 15 in the country, they will have the opportunity to play in some of the top events this season and represent Mississippi State on the national level.”
The opportunity couldn’t come any quicker as the duo’s first event will be played this weekend at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.
The MSU netmen will be greeted by a familiar face, former Bulldog head coach Andy Jackson.
Florida boasts one of the best doubles teams in all of collegiate tennis with Hamid Mirzadeh and Chris Brandi coming in ranked at 4th in the nation.
“We played them last year and lost respectfully. We thought we could have played better. Hopefully we will get another shot at them this year,” Luiz Carvalho said.
No matter the obstacle, competition is something this duo is not afraid to face. Their confidence in teamwork erases all doubt.
“We know each other better. We know where each one should be and what the other one is able to do. It allows us to be a better team,” Jose-Carlos Pinto stated.
Last season, Carvalho and Pinto combined to defeat three Top 50 teams. Two of the three victories came in the Top 20, while the other lone victory came from the Top 10. This record, along with their ranking, is something that both players hope to improve on this season.
“We worked very hard for this all last season, and now all that hard work has paid off,” Pinto said. “Now we have to go out and build off this ranking. Now we can play hard and be ranked higher, like in the Top 5.”