Saturday, April 6
East Lansing, Mich.
12 PM
Michigan State University
5
vs
2
Purdue
Photo by: Jack Moreland
16th-Ranked Spartans Clinch Winningest Season in Program History with 5-2 Victory over Purdue
4/6/2024 5:34:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. – At the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center Saturday, 16th-ranked Michigan State Men's Tennis secured a 5-2 win over Purdue and the first 19-win season in program history.
MSU moves to 19-3 on the season, 5-0 in conference play. The five matches unbeaten in conference play is the Spartans best start to a Big Ten season since the 1967 team went 9-0 to win the B1G title. MSU has won seven straight against Purdue.
An 18-win season has only been accomplished two other times, last in 2013. MSU still has four games at hand to be played, not including Big Ten and NCAA postseason play.
On senior weekend, it was the soon-to-be graduates that delivered key victories in four of MSU's five points in the victory over the Boilermakers. Redshirt-freshman Aristotelis Thanos accounted for the other point at No. 2 singles, his 10th consecutive win after dropping the first match of his collegiate career.
Head Coach Harry Jadun
"Great job by the guys today. It was kind of up in the air whether it would be indoors or outdoors and the guys responded really well when the forecast went up a little bit. Obviously, our senior leaders, Luke and Graydon, did a great job winning in straight sets in singles and then also in doubles, you look at the two matches that we won, each one had a senior in Graydon and Reed. It's a special weekend on senior weekend to see the seniors get a win. It's about them and it's about finishing strong here in the green and white and I'm excited for the match here against Indiana tomorrow."
Match Recap
The Spartans came out strong in the season's first match at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center. The pairings of Thanos with senior Graydon Lair and senior Reed Crocker with graduate student Sebastien Collard each notching 6-2 wins on courts two and three respectively.
Purdue would respond early in singles however, claiming three first sets handily. MSU answered back however, as Spartans would win the second set in each match that they had dropped the first.
Spartan senior Luke Baylis dominated his match on court six, winning 6-1, 6-4 in straight to push MSU's lead to two and his season record to 3-1 in limited opportunities. Fellow senior Lair followed, clinching a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.
The Boilermakers took back a point, winning in three sets at No. 1 singles. But it was far too late. After losing his first set 1-6, junior Max Sheldon rebounded to win the next two, 6-3 and 6-2, securing the victory for MSU. It was Sheldon's team-leading 13th win of the season.
With the dual already decided, Collard and Thanos would play out their third sets. Collard dropped his but Thanos ended MSU's day as it started, with a win; he was victorious 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 2 doubles and finalized the overall score at 5-2.
Results
No. 16 Michigan State 5, Purdue 2
Doubles
1. Taym Alazmeh/Ronald Hohmann (MSU) vs. Juan David Velasquez/Soham Purohit (PUR) 5-4, unfinished
2. Graydon Lair/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Henrik Villanger/Stefan Simeunovic (PUR) 6-2
3. Reed Crocker/Sebastien Collard (MSU) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan/Daniel Labrador (PUR) 6-2
Singles
1. Stefan Simeunovic (PUR) def. Ronald Hohmann (MSU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0
2. Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Soham Purohit (PUR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
3. Henrik Villanger (PUR) def. Sebastien Collard (MSU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
4. Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Juan David Velasquez (PUR) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
5. Graydon Lair (MSU) def. Daniel Labrador (PUR) 6-4, 6-4
6. Luke Baylis (MSU) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan (PUR) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,5,1,4,3,2)
Next Up
Michigan State hosts No. 62 Indiana at noon at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center Sunday and will honor the five graduating student-athletes between the doubles and singles matches.
Scouting No. 62 Indiana
Indiana is 13-7 and 1-3 in the Big Ten ahead of Sunday. Against common non-conference opponents, the teams have fared similarly with wins over Boise State, Middle Tennessee State, Ball State, Bellarmine and Brown while having lost to Cornell.
In the ITA collegiate tennis rankings, the Hoosiers are represented by sophomore Sam Landau in singles, slotted at No. 69 nationally. In doubles, seniors Michael Andre and Ilya Tiraspolsky combine to make the 61st-ranked pairing.
Series History vs. Indiana
The Hoosiers hold a 24-63 all-time series lead over the Spartans, also having taken 14 of 37 matches played in East Lansing. Michigan State has however come out on top in the previous two meetings between the two sides.
MSU moves to 19-3 on the season, 5-0 in conference play. The five matches unbeaten in conference play is the Spartans best start to a Big Ten season since the 1967 team went 9-0 to win the B1G title. MSU has won seven straight against Purdue.
An 18-win season has only been accomplished two other times, last in 2013. MSU still has four games at hand to be played, not including Big Ten and NCAA postseason play.
On senior weekend, it was the soon-to-be graduates that delivered key victories in four of MSU's five points in the victory over the Boilermakers. Redshirt-freshman Aristotelis Thanos accounted for the other point at No. 2 singles, his 10th consecutive win after dropping the first match of his collegiate career.
Head Coach Harry Jadun
"Great job by the guys today. It was kind of up in the air whether it would be indoors or outdoors and the guys responded really well when the forecast went up a little bit. Obviously, our senior leaders, Luke and Graydon, did a great job winning in straight sets in singles and then also in doubles, you look at the two matches that we won, each one had a senior in Graydon and Reed. It's a special weekend on senior weekend to see the seniors get a win. It's about them and it's about finishing strong here in the green and white and I'm excited for the match here against Indiana tomorrow."
Match Recap
The Spartans came out strong in the season's first match at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center. The pairings of Thanos with senior Graydon Lair and senior Reed Crocker with graduate student Sebastien Collard each notching 6-2 wins on courts two and three respectively.
Purdue would respond early in singles however, claiming three first sets handily. MSU answered back however, as Spartans would win the second set in each match that they had dropped the first.
Spartan senior Luke Baylis dominated his match on court six, winning 6-1, 6-4 in straight to push MSU's lead to two and his season record to 3-1 in limited opportunities. Fellow senior Lair followed, clinching a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 5 singles.
The Boilermakers took back a point, winning in three sets at No. 1 singles. But it was far too late. After losing his first set 1-6, junior Max Sheldon rebounded to win the next two, 6-3 and 6-2, securing the victory for MSU. It was Sheldon's team-leading 13th win of the season.
With the dual already decided, Collard and Thanos would play out their third sets. Collard dropped his but Thanos ended MSU's day as it started, with a win; he was victorious 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 at No. 2 doubles and finalized the overall score at 5-2.
Results
No. 16 Michigan State 5, Purdue 2
Doubles
1. Taym Alazmeh/Ronald Hohmann (MSU) vs. Juan David Velasquez/Soham Purohit (PUR) 5-4, unfinished
2. Graydon Lair/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Henrik Villanger/Stefan Simeunovic (PUR) 6-2
3. Reed Crocker/Sebastien Collard (MSU) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan/Daniel Labrador (PUR) 6-2
Singles
1. Stefan Simeunovic (PUR) def. Ronald Hohmann (MSU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0
2. Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Soham Purohit (PUR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
3. Henrik Villanger (PUR) def. Sebastien Collard (MSU) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2
4. Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Juan David Velasquez (PUR) 1-6, 6-3, 6-2
5. Graydon Lair (MSU) def. Daniel Labrador (PUR) 6-4, 6-4
6. Luke Baylis (MSU) def. Mujtaba Ali-Khan (PUR) 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,5,1,4,3,2)
Next Up
Michigan State hosts No. 62 Indiana at noon at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center Sunday and will honor the five graduating student-athletes between the doubles and singles matches.
Scouting No. 62 Indiana
Indiana is 13-7 and 1-3 in the Big Ten ahead of Sunday. Against common non-conference opponents, the teams have fared similarly with wins over Boise State, Middle Tennessee State, Ball State, Bellarmine and Brown while having lost to Cornell.
In the ITA collegiate tennis rankings, the Hoosiers are represented by sophomore Sam Landau in singles, slotted at No. 69 nationally. In doubles, seniors Michael Andre and Ilya Tiraspolsky combine to make the 61st-ranked pairing.
Series History vs. Indiana
The Hoosiers hold a 24-63 all-time series lead over the Spartans, also having taken 14 of 37 matches played in East Lansing. Michigan State has however come out on top in the previous two meetings between the two sides.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
123
Stefan Simeunovic / 0 [PUR]
636
260
#2 Singles Match
123
Soham Purohit / 0 [PUR]
263
636
#3 Singles Match
123
Henrik Villanger / 0 [PUR]
656
172
#4 Singles Match
123
Juan David Velasquez / 0 [PUR]
632
166
#5 Singles Match
12
Daniel Labrador / 0 [PUR]
44
66
#6 Singles Match
12
Mujtaba Ali-Khan / 0 [PUR]
14
66
Order of Finish:
6,5,1,4,3,2
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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