![\"\"](\"https:\/\/jerryratcliffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_0610.jpeg\")
<\/a>Photo: UVA Athletics<\/p>\nThe fourth-seeded Virginia men\u2019s tennis team defeated fifth-seeded Mississippi State by a score of 4-1 on Thursday evening at the Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. The win sends the Cavaliers to the semifinals of the 2026 NCAA Men\u2019s Tennis Championship.<\/p>\n
The Cavaliers (26-4) will face first-seeded Wake Forest (34-3) in an all-ACC semifinals matchup on Saturday. The teams are familiar foes, having faced off twice already this season.<\/p>\n
UVA began Thursday\u2019s action with a pair of swift doubles victories. Freshman Andres Santamarta Roig and sophomore Jangjun Kim earned a 6-2 victory on court two, while No. 12 M\u00e5ns Dahlberg and Dylan Dietrich secured a 6-3 win on the top court to give Virginia a 1-0 advantage.<\/p>\n
Mississippi State (25-6) claimed a straight-set victory on singles court five to even the match score, but Virginia\u2019s No. 21 Keegan Rice responded with a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 13 Petar Jovanovic to put the Cavaliers back on top.<\/p>\n
If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to \u201cCavalier Exclusive<\/a>\u201d to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry \u201cHootie\u201d Ratcliffe\u2019s analysis and content. It\u2019s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!<\/p>\n No. 1 Dietrich took down a fellow top-10 ranked singles player, No. 9 Benito Sanchez Martinez, by a score of 6-4, 6-3 on court one to bring UVA within one point of clinching the match.<\/p>\n No. 58 Santamarta Roig provided the fourth point for Virginia, taking court four 6-2, 7-6 (8) over No. 120 Bryan Hernandez Cortes.<\/p>\n MATCH NOTES<\/p>\n Virginia is the No. 4 seed in the tournament and the No. 5 team in the ITA team rankings. FROM HEAD COACH ANDRES PEDROSO<\/p>\n \u201cCongrats to Mississippi State on an incredible season. Again, I said it at indoors, just an incredible culture they had. Their coaching staff does a great job of building those bonds and those friendships. You can just tell by the way they compete, so congrats to Mississippi State.<\/p>\n \u201cProud of my team. We fought until the end. We knew that they would bite back after the doubles point, and that\u2019s exactly what they did, especially after the first sets. Our team just stayed composed and stayed calm and got the job done in the end. Especially good time here [Andres Santamarta Roig] by the first year.\u201d<\/p>\n On playing in Athens: \u201cThis was probably my most memorable experience as a player. I had the opportunity to play Georgia in the quarterfinals of the NCAAs. I don\u2019t know how many thousand people here watching. It came down to me and my teammate. Absolute war. Probably the coolest experience of my tennis career. This place has so much history. It has a vibe. When you think of NCAAs, you think of the University of Georgia. It\u2019s a special place. You can just feel the ghosts, the college tennis ghosts, just roaming around and watching the matches and maybe even cheering a little bit. It gives you goose bumps, so this is the place.\u201d<\/p>\n FROM FRESHMAN ANDRES SANTAMARTA ROIG<\/p>\n \u201cThis semester in general has been amazing. My team, the coaches, the staff all are amazing. I am having so much fun. I think today, this tournament especially, is the best one I\u2019d say and I am enjoying it a lot. I think today we played three really good doubles matches and from what I saw of the singles we all fought until the last point. My match was tough, especially the second set at the end, but I ended up winning.\u201d<\/p>\n On deciding to play college tennis at UVA: \u201cAfter summer of last year, I was playing the bigger tournaments and planning on going pro, but I think many of the junior pro players are going to college because I think it is a really good idea to go to college before going pro because we are not mature enough. After summer, I decided to come to college, to this university because the couches, the players, the staff, are all amazing and it seemed like a really healthy place to be. I think I am improving a lot and creating strong relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n See y\u2019all Saturday \ud83d\udc4d\u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/02IPUSH2jR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Virginia Men\u2019s Tennis (@UVAMensTennis) May 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n VIRGINIA 4, MISSISSIPPI STATE 1<\/p>\n Singles Doubles Let\u2019s run it back. pic.twitter.com\/5VFp2I4A5Q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Virginia Men\u2019s Tennis (@UVAMensTennis) May 15, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n If you want even more award-winning coverage on the UVA athletics department, including its nationally-ranked football and basketball programs, be sure to subscribe to \u201cCavalier Exclusive<\/a>\u201d to follow all of Virginia Sports Hall Of Famer Jerry \u201cHootie\u201d Ratcliffe\u2019s analysis and content. It\u2019s the best in the business for Wahoo Fans!<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\nThe Cavaliers are 4-0 all-time against Mississippi State.
\nVirginia has defeated Mississippi State twice this season, previously downing the Bulldogs 4-1 in the ITA Indoors Quarterfinals on February 14.
\nThe Cavaliers advance to the semifinals for the 13th time in the last 19 championships.
\nRice leads the team with a 34-5 record, going 20-2 in singles this spring.
\nDietrich has the most singles wins in the dual match season, going 22-1 on court one.
\nSantamarta Roig improves to 16-5 on primarily courts three and four.
\nDahlberg and Dietrich are 15-0 overall with a 3-0 mark in dual match play.
\nSantamarta Roig and Kim improve to 5-2.<\/p>\n
1. #1 Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. #9 Be Sanchez Martinez (MSST) 6-4, 6-3
2. #21 Keegan Rice (VA) def. #13 Petar Jovanovic (MSST) 6-3, 6-2
3. #114 Jangjun Kim (VA) vs. #93 Niccolo Baroni (MSST) 6-3, 3-6, 3-4 UF
4. #58 Andres Santamarta Roig (VA) def. #65 Ma Martinez Serrano (MSST) 6-2, 7-6 (10-8)
5. Raphael Vaksmann (MSST) def. Stiles Brockett (VA) 6-1, 6-2
6. M\u00e5ns Dahlberg (VA) vs. #120 Br Hernandez Cortes (MSST) 4-6, 6-2, 5-4 UF<\/p>\n
1. #12 M\u00e5ns Dahlberg\/Dylan Dietrich (VA) def. #19 Be Sanchez Martinez\/Michal Novansky (MSST) 6-3
2. Andres Santamarta Roig\/Jangjun Kim (VA) def. Niccolo Baroni\/Ma Martinez Serrano (MSST) 6-2
3. Stiles Brockett\/Keegan Rice (VA) vs. Petar Jovanovic\/Br Hernandez Cortes (MSST) 5-5 UF
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,2,1,4)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n