Baris’ Dominant Bounceback Sees him Advance to NCAA Championships Sweet 16

STILLWATER, Okla. – Michigan State sophomore Ozan Baris advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Singles Championships Tuesday, collecting his second win to start the tournament, while he and his partner, junior Max Sheldon were dropped from the doubles competition.
 
Baris, a native of Okemos, Mich., advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in his career after coming back strong from dropping the first set, 4-6 to dominate Stanford’s 55^th-ranked Samir Banerjee and win the match with 6-0, 6-2 set victories. In the first round Monday the No. 8 overall seed knocked off Auburn’s 31^st-ranked Tyler Stice, 6-2, 6-4.
 
The Big Ten Player of the Year moves on to meet TCU’s Jack Pinnington, ranked 13^th in the latest ITA player rankings. Pinnington has won 12 straight, 10 against ranked opponents, including key wins at the No. 1 singles spot sixth-ranked Horned Frogs NCAA Team Championship title run that just concluded in Stillwater on Sunday. The English sophomore hasn’t lost since March 28, having beaten the likes of the nation’s No. 2 player Elliot Spizzirri in the National Championship match Sunday.
 
A match time is to be determined while it will be streamed on ESPN+ with a subscription and on Track Tennis for free without commentary.
 
The Spartans’ lone doubles pairing selected to the NCAA Championships, Baris and junior Max Sheldon were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Championships Monday afternoon, falling to the nation’s winningest and second-ranked pairing. Dhakshineswar Suresh and Holden Koons, 6-1, 6-2.
 
 The duo bows out of their second NCAA Championships in as many years together, as the most decorated MSU doubles team in history. The pair won the ITA Fall National Championship in November and reached as high as No. 1 in this season’s ITA rankings, heights no Spartans had ever gone before.
 
On Monday, Hohmann, the other Spartan entrant in the NCAA Singles Championships was on the other side of 1-6, 4-6 match, effectively ending his collegiate career. He was dropped by sixth-ranked Oliver Tarvet of San Diego. Hohmann, an experienced grad-transfer addition to the MSU squad for the 2023-24 season was in his third career NCAA Singles tournament.
 
The native of Oyster Bay, N.Y. bowed out after helping the Spartans to an unprecedented team season, having played the majority of matches at the No….