Michigan State University’s men’s tennis team made a notable impact on the opening day of the NCAA Individual Championships in Waco, Texas. For the first time in the program’s history, two players have advanced to the second round of this prestigious tournament.
Junior Ozan Baris and redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos both secured victories in their respective matches, each winning in straight sets but employing different strategies. Baris achieved a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win over Stanford’s Samir Banerjee. His performance was marked by a strong service game, with a perfect record in service games won and an 80 percent success rate in service points.
Thanos faced Alex Kotzen from Tennessee and claimed victory with scores of 6-2, 6-4. He controlled the first set effectively but encountered challenges at the start of the second set, trailing 0-4 before staging a comeback to win.
Both players will compete again on Wednesday in the Round of 32. Baris is set to face Carl Emil Overback from Cal Berkeley at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT, while Thanos will meet Colton Smith from Arizona at 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT.
The progress of Michigan State’s athletes can be followed through the Tournament Central link available on MSUSpartans.com.
Singles Results:
Ozan Baris def. Samir Banerjee (Stan) 6-2, 6-1
Aristotelis Thanos def. Alex Kotzen (Tenn) 6-2, 6-4
