WACO, Texas – Michigan State men’s tennis junior Ozan Baris secured his spot in the semifinals of the NCAA Individual Championships with his win over Jay Friend from Arizona, 6-1, 7-5, Friday in the quarterfinals.
Baris controlled the first set from the outset, keeping Friend on the defensive with consistent and powerful shots. Friend struggled to gain any momentum, allowing Baris to close out the set with ease.
“I kind of just kept my head down and the points turned my way,” Baris said. “I felt at the beginning of the set that the points were going his (Jay Friend) way, especially the no-ad points honestly. Then the points went my way and I kind of just stayed tough. It was a close second set and gutted through.”
In an impressive comeback, Baris defeated Friend (Arizona) with a final score of 7-5. After falling behind 0-2 early in the set, Baris regained control, steadily narrowing the gap and ultimately overtaking his opponent. His resilience and strategic adjustments allowed him to clinch the set and win.
“I think that’s why I felt a little uneasy, especially in the second set,” Baris said. “There was one opportunity where I didn’t do myself any favors. In the first game of the second set where I missed that backhand return, I knew that if I won that point, I could really put him away and run with it. I didn’t do that and he’s a player that when he starts finding his rhythm, it’s really uncomfortable because you know that he can play very well. I never really felt comfortable out there, even though I was only broken that one time. That’s kudos to him, he plays a really big game and he has a lot of weapons so that’s some of his strengths.”
Baris will play DK Suresh Ekambaram of Wake Forest in the semifinals on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m CT.
This marks the second-straight NCAA Championships that Baris has made it to the national semifinals, falling to eventual national champion Filip Planinsek of Alabama last spring, and returning there this fall with the new set-up of hosting the NCAA Individual Championships in the fall.
Fans can follow Baris at the NCAA Individual Championships with the Tournament Central link at MSUSpartans.com.
Singles Results:
Ozan Baris (MSU) def. Jay Friend (Arizona) 6-1, 7-5
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