URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – 18th-ranked men’s tennis persevered to overcome a three-point deficit and take down No. 19 Illinois 4-3 in a historic road affair Saturday.
The win is the Spartans’ first over Illinois since March 24, 1997 as the Illini had claimed the previous 30 matchups prior to Saturday. The last time MSU came back from three down to clinch the first-to-four victory was over Drake on Feb. 21, 2020.
Okemos native and national No. 11 singles player Ozan Baris clinched the victory for MSU with a comeback of his own in a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 thriller on main court.
MSU, now 17-3 on the season and a perfect 3-0 in Big Ten play, moves closer to not only its second NCAA Tournament team appearance in program history and first since 2013, but the top-20 road victory also brings a first ever first round regional in East Lansing in May ever closer.
MSU travels upstate to face No. 60 Northwestern in Evanston, Ill. on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, in hopes of maintaining its spot atop the Big Ten while clinching the program’s first 18-win season since 2018.
Head Coach Harry Jadun
“It’s a huge moment for our program. It’s a testament to the guys, they were down big and it took a lot, I’m super proud of these Spartans. We’ve got some guys that are battle tested in Max Sheldon, David Saye and Aris Thanos that took straight set wins. For Ozan to come back and close out the match was really inspiring. Any day you beat a top-20 team on the road is a great day but with this one being a conference match it’s extra special and I’m excited for Northwestern tomorrow.”
Jadun very briefly served as an assistant…
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