JACKSONVILLE – Marko Milosavljevic made a great impression in his first action as a Gamecock, turning in an undefeated weekend of singles play at the Jax State Invite. The freshman's performance was a highlight of Jacksonville State's Fall opener against quality competition.
 
"It's very exciting for Marko to come in and have a great, undefeated weekend, but we're not surprised," head coach Trey Morris said. "He's a player who's been showing his work rate every day. Marko takes pride in his preparation, training, and habits, so for me it's not surprising at all that he had a great invite."
 
Milosavljevic, an impressive piece from Jax State's heralded 2023 recruiting class, opened his collegiate career with a pair of singles wins on Friday. The Vosendorf, Austria, native downed Kennesaw State's Joel Gibson in two sets, 6-1, 7-6 (5), then came from behind in a three-set thriller against North Alabama's Nazar Fedoryshyn, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Milosavljevic added a two-set triumph over Kennesaw State's Agustin Miramontes (6-1, 6-3) on Saturday evening and won versus the injured Sam Baldwin of KSU to close out the home invite.
 
"It's exciting for him because I don't think we're anywhere near his level yet," Morris said. "He should take confidence from this moment, but he has a lot more quality yet to show. The same goes for the rest of the group. We were able to get some wins this weekend, but this is only the beginning."
 
The first-year Gamecock was not the only contributor for the Red-and-White to shine in their first opportunity of the 2023-24 campaign. 10 players found the court for Morris' team at the Jax State Tennis Courts, including returners Alin Fatu, Logan Haga, Matei Palcau, Xavier Sarda Marti, and Lucius Soller, and newcomers Aman Dahiya, Liam Day, Zach Murphy, Charlie Penman, and the aforementioned Milosavljevic. In total, Jacksonville State tallied 14 singles wins and five doubles triumphs in showdowns with some of the best that Kennesaw State, North Alabama, and Samford have to offer.
 
"We were really happy to get out and compete," Morris said. "This was my first chance to see some of the younger guys play and it was phenomenal. It allows our staff to take what we've seen and make some adjustments and move forward as we continue to build this year."
 
North Alabama went on to win the event with the Gamecocks finishing right behind their in-state foe. Milosavljevic, however, was deemed the Jax State Invite MVP after going 4-0 on the weekend in singles play.
 
Jacksonville State returns to play later this month in Birmingham at the Samford Invite. That event in the Magic City will be held Fri., Sept. 29 through Sun., Oct. 1.
 
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