Michigan State men’s tennis tops Michigan for first time since 2002-03

EAST LANSING — The Michigan State men’s tennis team closed out its regular season in ideal style — upending rival Michigan for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

The No. 27-ranked Spartans topped No. 25 Michigan, 4-2, in the last home match for their seniors Saturday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center. MSU’s win snapped a 23-match losing streak in the rivalry.

MSU, which celebrated seniors Max Sheldon and Josh Portnoy, improved to 15-8 overall and 10-3 Big Ten, while the Wolverines slipped to 15-8 and 8-5 in the conference.

Sheldon and his brother, Mitchell, earned the first point of the match for the Spartans, prevailing at No. 3 doubles, 6-2, over Michigan’s Alex Cairo and Nicholas Striglehner.

At No. 1 doubles, the MSU team of Ozan Baris and Matthew Forbes downed Michigan’s Will Cooksey and Patorn Hanchaikul, 6-3.

The Spartans’ other wins came in singles as Forbes topped Patorn Hanchaikul, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 3, Mitchell Sheldon won at No. 5 over Mert Oral, 6-4, 6-2, and freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev beat Michigan’s Alex Cairo 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 at No. 6.

The Wolverines’ two wins came in singles as Cooksey edged Baris at No. 1, 7-5, 7-5, and Striglehner downed MSU’s Vuc Radjenovic, 6-2, 6-2.

MSU will next travel to Columbus, Ohio, for the Big Ten Championships April 25–28.

— MSU Athletic Communications

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State men’s tennis tops Michigan for first time since 2002-03