Michigan State University
Brown
Spartans Secure First Wins of Harry Jadun Era With Doubleheader Sweep
1/21/2023 7:04:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State Spartans earned the first two wins of the Harry Jadun era, knocking off Brown and Bellarmine, 4-1 and 5-2, respectively, in a doubleheader at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center Saturday.
The Spartans move to 2-2 on the season after dropping their first two duals to ranked opponents last week. MSU handed Brown (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) its first loss of the season, while Bellarmine drops to 0-3 on the year (0-0 ASUN).
Michigan State started the afternoon strong against Brown with bookended doubles wins to take an early 1-0 lead. The opening point came down to the wire as Reed Crocker and Anthony Pero picked up their first doubles win, defeating Niraj Komatineni and Chun Lam, 6-4, to start off the dual at No. 2, while moments later, MSU's pairing of Graydon Lair and Max Sheldon fell to Alex Finkelstein and Noah Hernandez, 6-3, at the No. 1 position. The Spartans took the point after senior Kazuki Matsuno and freshman David Saye defeated Brown's Zander Bravo and Sam Feldman 6-4 at No. 3 doubles.
The Green & White continued to impress in the second half of the doubleheader with their doubles play, taking the opening point against Bellarmine with a pair of 6-2 decisions at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. Pero and Crocker finished the day 2-0 as a pair, breaking serve to defeat the Knights' Xavier Ecarma and Kyle Tang, while Baylis and Lair took down Jack Batchelor and Eli Wood to give the Spartans a 1-0 advantage. The No. 2 spot went unfinished, with Bellarmine's Matthew Nice and Paul Reynolds leading MSU's Portnoy and Matsuno, 4-3.
Once again, the Spartans got off to a quick start in singles play with Sheldon picking up his second win of the season, breaking serve against Bellarmine's Tang to earn MSU's second point in straight sets. Baylis increased the Spartan lead to 3-0, picking up his second win of the day, defeating Batchelor.
With points still on the table, Bellarmine would strike back at No. 3 singles with Matthew Nice defeating MSU's Lair in straight sets, taking the second-set tiebreak 8-6. However, the Spartans would clinch the match moments later, as Matsuno defeated Bellarmine's Vineet Ramesh, picking up his first singles win of the season in the process. The teams would split the remaining points as Portnoy fell to Paul Reynolds at No. 4 and Reed Crocker picked up his first singles win, defeating Eli Wood in a third-set super-tiebreaker, 10-5, finalizing the 5-2 win for the Spartans.
Up next, the Spartans travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to take on the Alabama on Saturday, Jan. 28.
RESULTS - Brown
Singles
1. Anthony Pero (MSU) def. Alex Finkelstein (BROWN) 6-4, 6-4
2. Max Sheldon (MSU) vs. Noah Hernandez (BROWN) 6-7 (2-7), 6-2, unfinished
3. Luke Baylis (MSU) def. Oliver Worth (BROWN) 6-4, 7-6 (9-7)
4. Niraj Komatineni (BROWN) def. Graydon Lair (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. David Saye (MSU) def. Alex Koong (BROWN) 6-4, 6-1
6. Josh Portnoy (MSU) vs. Roger Chou (BROWN) 6-4, 5-3, unfinished
Order of finish: 4,1,5,3
Doubles
1. Alex Finkelstein/Noah Hernandez (BROWN) def. Graydon Lair/Max Sheldon (MSU) 6-3
2. Reed Crocker/Anthony Pero (MSU) def. Niraj Komatineni/Chun Lam (BROWN) 6-4
3. Kazuki Matsuno/David Saye (MSU) def. Zander Bravo/Sam Feldman (BROWN) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
RESULTS - Bellarmine
Singles
- Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Kyle Tang (BELL) 6-0, 6-2 2. Luke Baylis (MSU) def. Jack Batchelor (BELL) 6-2, 6-4 3. Matthew Nice (BELL) def. Graydon Lair (MSU) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) 4. Paul Reynolds (BELL) def. Josh Portnoy (MSU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) 5. Kazuki Matsuno (MSU) def. Vineet Ramesh (BELL) 6-4, 6-3 6. Reed Crocker (MSU) def. Eli Wood (BELL) 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 1-0 (10-5)
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 5, 4, 6
Doubles
1. Anthony Pero/Reed Crocker (MSU) def. Xavier Ecarma/Kyle Tang (BELL) 6-2
2. Josh Portnoy/Kazuki Matsuno (MSU) vs. Matthew Nice/Paul Reynolds (BELL) 3-4, unfinished
3. Luke Baylis/Graydon Lair (MSU) def. Jack Batchelor/Eli Wood (BELL) 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 3
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1,3
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
4,1,5,3
Players Mentioned
