Meet sophomore tennis player Mario Martinez Serrano. Martinez is from Zaragoza, Spain, and is no stranger to the spotlight. As a freshman, he took home the honor of Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, and his sophomore season has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Over the weekend, the Troy men’s tennis team battled South Alabama at the Lunsford Tennis Complex. The team won the doubles point for the match, thanks to Martinez and his partner Luciano Alcocer. Martinez and Alcocer are a perfect 11-0 in doubles this season, the best record on the team.
In singles, Martinez is nationally ranked. The sophomore ranks No. 87 in the country in the ITA player rankings. This ranking is thanks to his 20-1 record in singles this season. In the match against South, Martinez won the deciding point for the Trojans in the 4-1 victory. He completely dominated Rostislav Halfinger in two sets, only dropping three games in the process.
Martinez’s biggest accomplishment came earlier this season on October 31. Martinez traveled to Atlanta to participate in the UTR Pro Tennis Tour, a singles tournament against many ranked opponents. Martinez dropped the first match of the tourney but bounced back in a huge way.
Martinez claimed the next five matches in a row, only dropping one set in his wins. He completed a two-set sweep in four of the five match wins. He finished the UTR with a 5-1 record, bringing home the championship trophy in the process.
Another accomplishment for the sophomore came in the ITA regionals. Martinez was named the No. 12 overall seed in the singles bracket, an honor not many achieve in their college career. He fell in his first and only matchup of that tournament but being recognized as the 12th overall seed in a national tourney is a huge milestone in his young career.
Martinez gets another shot to improve his already daunting record this weekend when Troy takes on both Georgia schools in Sun Belt clashes. The team will travel to Statesboro, Georgia on April 6 for a match against Georgia Southern, and then Atlanta on April 7 for a match against Georgia State.
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