Monday, May 20
Stillwater, Okla.
Michigan State University
at
NCAA Championships
Photo by: Jack Moreland
Baris' Comeback and NCAA Singles Championship Run Falls Short in National Semifinal
5/24/2024 3:58:00 PM | Men's Tennis
STILLWATER, Okla. – MSU sophomore Ozan Baris' NCAA Singles Championships run came to an end in the national semifinal, ever so narrowly Alabama's Filip Planinsek 5-7, 7-5, 6-7 (6-8) Friday.
A native of Okemos, Mich., Baris came back from a big deficit in the second set, down 3-5 and 4-5 facing match point, but came back to win the set and force a third set. In the super tiebreaker of the third set, the 64-player tournament's No. 8 seed was three match points from the national title match.
Competing as the first Spartan to ever earn entry to the NCAA Singles Championships semifinals as a true sophomore, Baris also finishes as the first two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American in program history.
The Big Ten Player of the Year finishes the historic season 32-7 in singles, the loss snapping his eight-match win streak that dated back to March 10. In the four matches leading up to the semifinal, Baris dominated his counterparts, winning eight of nine total sets.
Planinsek, ranked ITA No. 29 entering the postseason, will face Columbia's 23rd-ranked Michael Zheng in the National Championship match Saturday.
Match Recap
In the first set, neither player could break each other's serve in the first 10 games. It was Planinsek that struck first however, winning the last two games of the set.
The second set began similarly to the first, both players holding their services. Planinsek drew first blood however, using a break and a hold to go out front, 5-3 in the set, a game away from the final.
Baris held, however, and then, backed up against a wall at match point – four games to five in the set, in a 40-40 deuce – he broke the Alabama junior for the first time on the day. He would go on to win the next to games to force a third deciding set with the Greenwood Tennis Center scoreboard reading 5-7, 7-5.
The third set was an even more tightly contested then the first two as the serving player won each of the first 12 games. The scoreboard now displaying 5-7, 7-5, 6-6, the match was sent to a super tiebreaker.
Baris delivered the first blow, going up double break in the first-to-seven tiebreaker, 6-3. He had come all the way back from down to his last point in the second set to a point away from winning and advancing in the third set.
Planinsek, who had upset three players ranked higher than him – two top-15 opponents – wasn't going to roll over easy. And he didn't. The Serbian international claimed the next five points, winning the match 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6).
Head Coach Harry Jadun
"Obviously the result isn't what we wanted or what Ozan wanted, but just, what a warrior. What a warrior. What a battle. Great match by Filip from Alabama. Both guys had match points and they ended up getting the last point of the match."
"This whole tournament and this whole year was a coming-out party for Ozan. He showed everybody that he's one of the premier players in the country and he's put Michigan State Tennis on the map. While this will sting, Ozan has so much to be proud of and we're lucky to have him as a Spartan. He's taken us to new heights and I'm so excited for what the future holds. He's got a long career in this sport, and this is just the start of it. One more steppingstone on his path to becoming a professional player but there's no doubt in my mind he's going to make a living playing this sport."
Results
Filip Planinsek (Alabama) def. #8 Ozan Baris (Michigan State), 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6)
A native of Okemos, Mich., Baris came back from a big deficit in the second set, down 3-5 and 4-5 facing match point, but came back to win the set and force a third set. In the super tiebreaker of the third set, the 64-player tournament's No. 8 seed was three match points from the national title match.
Competing as the first Spartan to ever earn entry to the NCAA Singles Championships semifinals as a true sophomore, Baris also finishes as the first two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American in program history.
The Big Ten Player of the Year finishes the historic season 32-7 in singles, the loss snapping his eight-match win streak that dated back to March 10. In the four matches leading up to the semifinal, Baris dominated his counterparts, winning eight of nine total sets.
Planinsek, ranked ITA No. 29 entering the postseason, will face Columbia's 23rd-ranked Michael Zheng in the National Championship match Saturday.
Match Recap
In the first set, neither player could break each other's serve in the first 10 games. It was Planinsek that struck first however, winning the last two games of the set.
The second set began similarly to the first, both players holding their services. Planinsek drew first blood however, using a break and a hold to go out front, 5-3 in the set, a game away from the final.
Baris held, however, and then, backed up against a wall at match point – four games to five in the set, in a 40-40 deuce – he broke the Alabama junior for the first time on the day. He would go on to win the next to games to force a third deciding set with the Greenwood Tennis Center scoreboard reading 5-7, 7-5.
The third set was an even more tightly contested then the first two as the serving player won each of the first 12 games. The scoreboard now displaying 5-7, 7-5, 6-6, the match was sent to a super tiebreaker.
Baris delivered the first blow, going up double break in the first-to-seven tiebreaker, 6-3. He had come all the way back from down to his last point in the second set to a point away from winning and advancing in the third set.
Planinsek, who had upset three players ranked higher than him – two top-15 opponents – wasn't going to roll over easy. And he didn't. The Serbian international claimed the next five points, winning the match 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6).
Head Coach Harry Jadun
"Obviously the result isn't what we wanted or what Ozan wanted, but just, what a warrior. What a warrior. What a battle. Great match by Filip from Alabama. Both guys had match points and they ended up getting the last point of the match."
"This whole tournament and this whole year was a coming-out party for Ozan. He showed everybody that he's one of the premier players in the country and he's put Michigan State Tennis on the map. While this will sting, Ozan has so much to be proud of and we're lucky to have him as a Spartan. He's taken us to new heights and I'm so excited for what the future holds. He's got a long career in this sport, and this is just the start of it. One more steppingstone on his path to becoming a professional player but there's no doubt in my mind he's going to make a living playing this sport."
Results
Filip Planinsek (Alabama) def. #8 Ozan Baris (Michigan State), 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6)
◾️ NCAA Singles Semifinalist
— Michigan State Men's Tennis (@MSU_MTennis) May 24, 2024
◾️ Second All-American award
◾️ First Big Ten Player of the Year at MSU
◾️ ITA Fall Doubles National Champion
◾️ Highest ranked Spartan ever
◾️ Led MSU to it's winningest season and first NCAA Tournament victory
The list goes on and on for the… https://t.co/88JC5SHiJH
Players Mentioned
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Wednesday, November 27
Harry Jadun | Men's Tennis Press Conference | Nov. 18 2024
Monday, November 18