Thanos Qualifying For NCAA Individual Championships Highlights Weekend
Redshirt junior punches ticket to join fellow Spartan in Waco, Texas.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Capping the weekend of play for Michigan State men's tennis at the ITA Sectionals, redshirt junior Aristotelis Thanos punched his ticket to NCAA Individual Championships.
Thanos will join fellow Spartan, junior Ozan Baris in Waco, Texas at the NCAA Individual Championships, Nov. 19-24 at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center.
Baris earned his spot at the NCAA Individual Championships by winning the ITA Midwest Regionals on Oct. 14, becoming the first Michigan State men's tennis player to win the ITA Regional Singles Championship.
Thanos started out the weekend action playing against Preston Stearns from Ohio State. In a back-and-forth match, Thanos def. Stearns 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. Another quick match win against William Mroz from Illinois, Thanos won 6-3, 6-3. In the QF Playoffs, Thanos defeated Calvin Mueller of Nebraska, 6-4, 0-6, 7-5 to advance to NCAAs.
Friday match play started early as freshman Matthew Forbes took down Togan Tokac from Texas A&M, 7-5, 7-5. His next singles match was against Oskar Brostrom Poulsen from Baylor. Forbes fought hard but fell, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6.
His next match was a doubles match with partner, senior Max Sheldon. Forbes/Sheldon def. Alemany/Kouame from Memphis, 6-3, 5-7, 12-10. The Spartan pair then took on Young/Swenson from Michigan. They lost that match 6-7, 5-7.
In a tough battle in his first singles match, Sheldon lost to Gavin Young from Michigan, 6-7, 6-2, 5-7. Sheldon went on to def. Miguel from Tulsa, 6-1, 6-2 in his next match.
In Wisconsin at the Big Ten Indoors, freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev put up a good fight for the Spartans going 3-2 on the week. In his first match, Rakhmatullayev def. Sachiv Kumar (WIS), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 10-6. Following that win, Nicholas Steiglehner (MICH) def. Rakhmatullayev 6-2, 6-3. Looking to continue his momentum from his first match, Rakhmatullayev def. Nick Herdoiza (NU) 6-2, 6-0. A quick win against Henrik Villanger (PUR), 6-4, 6-4, helped Rakhmatullayev continue his fight. In his final match of the weekend, Max Bengtsson (NU) def. Rakhmatullayev, 6-4, 7-6.
More information on Thanos and Baris at the NCAA Individual Championships will be announced at a later date.
Singles Results:
ITA Sectionals
Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Preston Stearns (OSU) 6-7, 7-6, 6-4
Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. William Mroz (ILL) 6-3, 6-3
Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Calvin Mueller (NEB) 6-4, 0-6, 7-5
Oskar Brostrom Poulsen (BU) def. Matthew Forbes (MSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Matthew Forbes (MSU) def. Togan Tokac (TAMU) 7-5, 7-5
Gavin Young(MICH) def. Max Sheldon (MSU) 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 7-5
Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Luis Felipe Miguel (TUL) 6-1, 6-2
B1G Indoor Championships
Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Sachiv Kumar (WIS), 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 10-6
Nicholas Steiglehner (MICH) def. Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) 6-2, 6-3
Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Nick Herdoiza (NU) 6-2, 6-0
Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Henrik Villanger (PUR) 6-4, 6-4
Max Bengtsson (NU) def. Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) 6-4, 7-6
Double Results:
ITA Sectionals
Forbes/Sheldon (MSU) def. Alemany/Kouame (MEM), 6-3, 5-7, 12-10
Young/Swenson (MICH) def. Forbes/Sheldon (MSU) 6-7 (5-7), 5-7
Recap courtesy of MSU Athletics.
