Bulldogs edge Razorbacks in marathon match Sunday

FAYETTEVILLE — In a match that lasted more than 5 hours and included a one-hour rain delay, Mississippi State edged out a 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles to pull off a 4-3 victory against Arkansas on Sunday at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.

Bulldogs (14-5, 5-3 SEC) Madison Harrison and Khrystyna Vozniak were first off the court in doubles, recording a 6-3 win at the top spot.

Then, rain moved the match indoors.

Following the one-hour delay, Razorbacks (5-11, 1-6 SEC) Natsuho Arakawa and Agne Cepelyte scored a 6-4 win at the No. 3 spot, but Mississippi State’s Janina Braun and Magda Adaloglou clinched the tight opening point with a  7-6 (7-2) win at No. 2.

In singles, the Bulldogs extended their lead to 2-0 when Vozniak won 6-0, 0-6, 6-1 at No. 6.

Arkansas quickly bounced back with consecutive wins. Mia Jurasic defeated Adaloglou 7-5, 6-2 at No. 3 and then No. 76 Ana Oparenovic earned a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2 to level the match 2-2.

Harrison reclaimed the lead for Mississippi State, winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 at the top spot, but Arkansas responded once again with Cepelyte’s 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5.

With the match tied 3-3, Arakawa and Mississippi State’s Anastasia Rentouli entered a third set at No. 4. Arakawa raced out to a 4-1 lead, but Rentouli rallied to win the next five games, earning a 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-4 victory and clinching the overall team victory 4-3.

Up Next

Arkansas will hit the road for a pair of matches next weekend.

The Razorbacks are set to play No. 18 Florida in Gainesville, on March 29, before they take on No. 10 South Carolina on March 31, in Columbia.