Spartan Men’s Tennis Fights To 4-3 Victory Over No. 24-Ranked Trojans

Friday, March 27

East Lansing, Mich.

5 PM

Michigan State University

No. 24 USC

Spartan Men’s Tennis Fights To 4-3 Victory Over No. 24-Ranked Trojans

3/27/2026 11:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

MSU earns seventh consecutive win to run conference record to 7-0.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men's tennis claimed a 4-3 victory over the No. 24-ranked USC Trojans on Friday night at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center, as the Spartans ran their win streak to seven in a row and stayed undefeated in Big Ten Conference action.

The Green & White has had an incredible start to the spring season, holding a record of 7-0 in B1G action, running its win streak to seven following Friday's match.

Action came down to No. 1 singles court, where senior Aristotelis Thanos had another comeback win for the Spartans, taking down his USC opponent, Branko Djuruc, in a three-set thriller, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) to clinch the winning crown for the Green & White,

Early in the competition, USC took the lead by claiming the doubles point. Junior Taym Alazmeh and his doubles partner, sophomore Danial Rakhmatullayev took down the USC pairing of Andrin Casanova and Jack McCarthy in a 6-3 battle. Spartan senior Ozan Baris and sophomore Matthew Forbes squared off against the Trojans' tandem of Max Exsted and Nathan Trouve, putting up a tough fight but falling, 6-4. MSU sophomore Mitchell Sheldon and senior Aristotelis Thanos took the court at No. 3 doubles opposite USC's Connor Church and Branko Djuruc, battling through a tight match, but fell, 6-4.

In singles action, the Spartans and the Trojans put up an intense fight on the court. Baris put the Spartans on the board after a swift 6-2, 6-2 victory over Max Exsted.

Four Spartans had matches go to three sets. Forbes, at No. 2 singles, put up an incredible comeback win over Nathan Trouve. Forbes lost the first set, 3-6, but came back to take the second and third, 6-2, 7-5. Rakhmatullayev evened the score at 3-3 after taking down Andrin Casanova 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. In total, Forbes saved two team match points, and Thanos saved three.

Sheldon put up an impressive three-set match against Connor Church, winning the first set 6-2, but dropping the second and third, 3-6, 4-6. Alazmeh battled against Jack McCarthy, but fell 6-0, 6-3.

The Spartans return to action at home Sunday, March 29, at 12 p.m. Fans can follow Sunday's action with "Watch Live" and "Live Results" links at MSUSpartans.com or by following the Spartan men's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @MSU_MTennis.

No. 28 Michigan State vs. No. 24 USC
East Lansing, Mich.
March 27, 2026
MSU 4, USC 3

Doubles:
1.Taym Alazmeh/Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Andrin Casanova/Jack McCarthy (USC) 6-3
2. Max Exsted/Nathan Trouve (USC) def. Matthew Forbes/Ozan Baris (MSU) 4-6
3. Connor Church/Branko Djuruc (USC) def. Mitchell Sheldon/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) 6-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3

Singles:
1. Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Branko Djuruc (USC) 5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
2. Matthew Forbes (MSU) def. Nathan Trouve (USC) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
3. Ozan Baris (MSU) def. Max Exsted (USC) 6-3, 6-2
4. Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU) def. Andrin Casanova (USC) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Jack McCarthy (USC) def. Taym Alazmeh (MSU) 0-6, 3-6
6. Connor Church (USC) def. Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 6, 2, 4, 1