EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State men’s tennis junior Ozan Baris became the first Michigan State men’s tennis player to win the ITA Regional Singles Championship, winning the ITA Midwest Regional title Monday afternoon at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
It was an all Big Ten final for both singles and doubles to wrap up ITA Midwest Regionals on Monday, the fifth and final day of tournament action.
Baris is MSU’s second-ever ITA Regional title winner, as Francisco Trinidad and Ken Kigongo won the doubles crown in 1998.
Baris took on 12th-seeded William Mroz of Illinois in the semifinal match of singles. A win of 6-4, 6-4 placed Baris in the finals. Baris advanced to meet fifth-seeded Kenta Miyoshi, of Illinois in the finals match. No matter the outcome, both of these players will earn their place at the NCAA Individual Championships. A tough match led Baris becoming the first ever Spartan to win ITA Regionals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Miyoshi.
“It was great. It’s always nice to have a good week where you are not coming out a loser, it’s pretty rare in tennis,” Barris said. “I got a couple of wins under my belt and felt like I improved over the week. It was a good three days for me.”
Baris came into the fall season ranked No. 1 in the Division I Men’s ITA Collegiate Tennis National Preseason Rankings, and backed it up in rolling through the weekend tournament as the top seed, winning five of his six matches in straight sets.
He opened action with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Peter Nad of Notre Dame. He then knocked off Mathis Debru of Illinois, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in the Round of 32. Baris beat 16th-seeded Will Cooksey of Michigan, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) in the Round of 16. In the quarterfinals match, Baris made quick work of 11th-seeded Christopher Li from Ohio State, 6-1, 6-1, on Sunday to advance to Monday’s semifinal. Baris cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 win over Mroz of Illinois in the semis, setting up the final showdown with fifth-seeded Miyoshi.
“Well done by Ozan throughout the week,” MSU men’s tennis head coach Harry Jadun said. “He had honestly had a little bit of a choppy start to the tournament, had a few scares especially against an Illinois player, Mathis Debru. It’s one of those things where you get a little bit of confidence by picking up some tough wins at the beginning of the tournament and then…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Michigan State University Athletics…