EAST LANSING, Mich. — Two Michigan State men’s tennis players are heading to Waco, Texas to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships.
The singles and doubles competition will be conducted Tuesday-Sunday, Nov. 19-24 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Baylor University serves as host. The NCAA Individual Championships are making their debut as the tournament has moved from the spring to the fall for the first time.
Two Spartans, junior Ozan Baris and redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos, punched their ticket.
Baris earned his spot at ITA Midwest Regionals in East Lansing, where he became the Midwest Single Champion while becoming the first Spartan to claim that title. The Spartan junior is making his third NCAA Championships appearance, reaching the national semifinals a year ago, losing to eventual national champion Filip Planinsek of Alabama. Baris is currently ranked No. 1 in the ITA Individual Rankings, and posted an 8-3 record this fall.
Thanos punched his ticket to the tournament competing at ITA Sectionals on Nov. 10 after making it to the quarterfinals. This is the Spartan redshirt sophomore’s first NCAA Championships appearance. Thanks is currently ranked No. 72 in the ITA Individual Rankings, and registered a 7-4 record this fall.
Match play starts on Tuesday, Nov. 19 and continues until they crown singles and doubles champions on Nov. 24.
Both Baris and Thanos will compete in the singles tournament. All matches shall be the best-of-three sets. No-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker at six-games-all will be used for all matches.
Baris will take on Samir Banjeree from Stanford at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT. Thanos takes on Alex Kotzen from Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT.
Keep up with the Spartans progress in the NCAA Individual Championships here: Tournament Central.
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