Lansing Sun

Michigan State University men's tennis players Matthew Forbes and Danial Rakhmatullayev recently participated in the U.S. Open Juniors. Forbes had a notable performance, becoming the first current Spartan to qualify for the main draw of the U.S. Open since Mashiska Washington in 1999.

In his opening match at the Juniors, Forbes faced Mika Petkovic. After securing the first set 6-4, he lost momentum in the second set with a score of 4-6 but rebounded to win the third set 6-3, thanks to strong serving.

Meanwhile, Rakhmatullayev played against Flynn Thomas. Despite a competitive first set that ended 7-6 (4) in favor of Thomas, Rakhmatullayev was unable to recover and lost the second set 6-2.

Forbes advanced to face Nathan Trouve, winning both sets 6-4. His journey continued into a third-round match against Kaylan Bigun, who won this year's French Open Junior tournament. In a challenging match, Forbes was defeated by Bigun with scores of 2-6 and 4-6.

Both players will return to Michigan State for upcoming fall events.

"Matthew Forbes def. Mika Petkovic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3"

"Flynn Thomas def. Danial Rakhmatullayev 7-6, 6-2"

"Matthew Forbes def. Nathan Trouve 6-4, 6-4"

"Kaylan Bigun def. Matthew Forbes 2-6, 4-6"