Staring down his opponent, redshirt freshman No. 7 Timo Legout would be one point away from maintaining the Texas men’s tennis team’s undefeated Southeastern Conference record.
As the crowd silently waited in anticipation, Legout lifted his racket, preparing to serve. Delivering a perfect strike, Legout hit the sweet spot, barely gracing inside the box. Arriving just outside the reach of Mississippi State junior Benito Sanchez Martinez, his return would be sent straight into the net, securing Texas’ fourth SEC win of the season.
Entering Thursday’s match against Mississippi State, head coach Bruce Berque knew Texas would be in for a challenge.
“Mississippi State is one of the better teams in the conference,” Berque said in an interview with KVUE reporter Cory Mose. “The SEC is very strong, but Mississippi State was definitely a team that we noticed at the beginning of the season based on their roster as one of the teams that will be the most stiff competition for us.”
The Bulldogs proved to be just that.
Texas opened doubles play, unable to create any momentum. Freshman Sebastian Eriksson and junior Sebastian Gorzny were the first pair off the court, losing 6–2 to senior Dusan Milanovic and junior Michal Novansky. The two were visibly frustrated as the Bulldogs’ bench remained passionate, cheering after every point. Sophomore Lucas Brown and Legout would be next. This time, securing a 6–3 victory against No. 29 freshman Niccolo Baroni and junior Mario Martinez Serrano.
After senior Pierre-Yves Bailly and freshman Oliver Ojakaar quickly fell two sets to No. 4 junior Petar Jovanovic and Sanchez Martinez, Ojakaar had an opportunity to keep Texas in the game. But, uncharacteristically, the serves were not hitting for him with his final serve being a double fault, giving Mississippi State the set and doubles point.
As singles play started, No. 13 Gorzny gained Texas’s first point of the game. In a finesse-filled showing that saw him hit slices, curving shots down the line and backhanded strikes behind No. 88 Jovanovic, Gorzny won both sets 6–3.
Eriksson called his shot next, battling through hard-fought points to take both his sets 6–3 against No. 92 Martinez Serrano.
But it wasn’t all Texas, as the Bulldogs secured two points with wins from No. 125 Baroni against No. 64 Bailly and sophomore Roberto Ferrer Guimaraes against Brown.
Luckily for the Longhorns, junior No. 39 Jonah Braswell came to play. Winning three games in a row to secure his first set and set the tone for the rest of the match, beating Milanovic 7–5, 6–3 and tying the game at three apiece.
But with the game on the line, it’d be Timo time, as the Longhorns would go on to win 4–3.
Texas now looks on as they prepare to host No. 32 Auburn at the Texas Tennis Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.
