Lansing Sun

Michigan State University (MSU) men's tennis player Ozan Baris has made history by becoming the first from the university to win the ITA Midwest Regional Singles Championship. The victory was secured on Monday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center, marking a significant achievement for the junior athlete.

The tournament concluded with an all Big Ten final in both singles and doubles categories. Baris is only the second player from MSU to win an ITA Regional title, following Francisco Trinidad and Ken Kigongo's doubles victory in 1998.

Baris faced off against William Mroz of Illinois in the semifinals, winning 6-4, 6-4. This set up a finals match against Kenta Miyoshi, also from Illinois. Despite both players securing spots at the NCAA Individual Championships regardless of the outcome, Baris triumphed with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Miyoshi.

Reflecting on his success, Baris commented: "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," adding that he felt improved over the course of the tournament.

Entering as the top seed and ranked No. 1 in Division I Men's ITA Collegiate Tennis National Preseason Rankings, Baris won five out of six matches in straight sets during this regional event. His journey included victories over Peter Nad of Notre Dame and Mathis Debru of Illinois before defeating Will Cooksey of Michigan and Christopher Li from Ohio State to reach the semifinals.

MSU men's tennis head coach Harry Jadun praised Baris' performance throughout the week: "Well done by Ozan throughout the week," Jadun said. He noted that despite a challenging start against Mathis Debru, Baris gained confidence as he progressed through tough matches.

This regional win adds to Baris' accolades which include ITA All-American honors last season and winning an ITA Fall National Championship doubles title with Max Sheldon.

"I'm excited about what it means for Ozan," Jadun expressed regarding Baris' historic win. "Ozan has been the first of a lot of things here at MSU...for him to win it...was really impressive."

With this regional championship under his belt, Baris will compete next month at the NCAA Individual Championships scheduled for November 19-24 in Waco, Texas.

Baris reflected on his recent accomplishment: "More than anything, it feels like...I kind of saw some subsistence behind it these past couple days and it just kind of gave me confirmation that I'm doing the right thing."