Lansing Sun

Two Michigan State University men's tennis players are set to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships, taking place from November 19 to 24 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. The tournament, hosted by Baylor University, marks its first appearance in the fall season.

Junior Ozan Baris and redshirt sophomore Aristotelis Thanos have secured their spots in this prestigious competition. Baris earned his place by winning the ITA Midwest Regionals in East Lansing, becoming the first Spartan to claim the Midwest Single Champion title. This will be his third appearance at the NCAA Championships; last year he reached the national semifinals but was defeated by eventual champion Filip Planinsek of Alabama. Currently ranked No. 1 in the ITA Individual Rankings, Baris has an 8-3 record for this fall.

Thanos qualified for his first NCAA Championships after reaching the quarterfinals at the ITA Sectionals on November 10. He is ranked No. 72 in the ITA Individual Rankings and holds a 7-4 record this fall.

Both players will participate in singles matches starting Tuesday, with Baris facing Samir Banjeree from Stanford at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT and Thanos competing against Alex Kotzen from Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT.

The format for all matches will be best-of-three sets with no-ad scoring and a seven-point tiebreaker at six-games-all.

Updates on their progress can be followed through Michigan State Men's Tennis social media channels and Tournament Central.