Men’s Tennis: No. 1 Buckeyes host Michigan State and Michigan in Columbus this weekend

Caroline Hebert
Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:35:09 +0000
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Alexander Bernard hits a back-handed return during his 3-0 singles win for Ohio State men’s tennis against Indiana Mar. 31. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics

It’s an important weekend for men’s tennis in Columbus as the last three undefeated conference teams will go head-to-head in determining this year’s Big Ten champion.

The No. 1 Buckeyes (23-1, 5-0 Big Ten) are set to face No. 18 Michigan State (20-3, 6-0 Big Ten) on Saturday, and will head back to the courts for a matchup against No. 35 Michigan (12-10, 6-0 Big Ten) on Sunday at the Auer Tennis Complex.

“It’s a big weekend for Ohio State,” redshirt sophomore Reece Yakubov said. “There’s not going to be a better weekend in college tennis, ever.”

Saturday afternoon will be Ohio State and Michigan State’s 95th all-time meeting, and the Buckeyes are currently 57-34-3 against the Spartans since their first match in 1933.

The last match between the two teams was in April 2023, which ended in a 7-0 win for the Buckeyes in East Lansing, Michigan.

Michigan State currently has one top-25 player in singles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings with No. 14 Ozan Baris holding a season record of 25-6.

In doubles, junior Max Sheldon and Baris are ranked No. 6 in the ITA Division with an 11-6 record.

“Michigan State has some great doubles players, and they’re good at getting doubles points,” Yakubov said. “Obviously, top to bottom they’re very strong and they’ve got a couple of leaders on that team that really bring the energy for them.”

This season is Michigan State’s first 20-win season in program history, and the Spartans are off to their best start in Big Ten play since 1967.

Heading into Sunday afternoon’s match, the Buckeyes and Wolverines will meet for a second time this season. The rivals last met on March 17 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where the Buckeyes rolled to a 4-0 sweep against the Wolverines.

“Michigan’s also a great team,” Yakubov said. “They’ve got a couple of older guys at the top of the lineup that help out their entire roster.”

In Ohio State versus Michigan men’s tennis history, the Wolverines lead the series 70-47-3, but Ohio State is 35-5 since the Buckeyes’ head coach Ty Tucker took over in 2000.

Michigan currently has a No. 17-ranked player in singles in the ITA Division, senior Gavin Young, who is currently 15-10 this season. In doubles, senior Jacob Bickersteth and Young are ranked No. 24 with an 11-5 record.

“Back-to-back days are always a challenge,” Yakubov said. “This weekend, we’ll have to put emphasis on taking it one match at a time. Once that Saturday match is done, we need to focus on the Sunday match.”

In singles, three Buckeyes continue to be ranked in the top-25 ITA Division rankings with No. 16 senior J.J. Tracy (28-3), No. 19 fifth-year Cannon Kingsley (12-4) and No. 25 redshirt sophomore Jack Anthrop (29-3) at the top of the leaderboard.

In doubles, seniors Robert Cash and Tracy are ranked No. 2 with an 11-2 record, and seniors Justin Boulais and Andrew Lutschaunig are ranked No. 20 with a 10-6 record.

“The doubles point is really important for us, just to get that and really have more energy than the other team and keep that energy throughout the whole match is what we need,” freshman Alex Fuchs said.

For the Buckeyes, Cash is just three doubles wins behind alum Peter Kobelt’s program record of 139 wins, while sophomore Alex Bernard and Anthrop are both undefeated this spring with 50 career singles wins.

“Michigan State and Michigan are both great teams, obviously undefeated in the Big Ten,” Fuchs said. “We’ve got a good week of practice and we’re getting ready.”

The two matches will be livestreamed on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Dedicated parking will be held specifically for tennis spectators on Saturday across from the tennis complex at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Both contests are set for noon.