Ozan Baris has made Michigan State men's tennis history as the first Spartan ever to appear in an NCAA Singles Championship semifinal.

He accomplished that on Thursday by defeating 30th-ranked Jack Anthrop of Ohio State in the quarterfinals in Stillwater, Okla.

Baris made quick work of the Buckeye, winning the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. Baris has now won eight straight matches and he hasn’t lost a singles match since March 10.

"Obviously Ozan has proven throughout this year that he is a contender on the national stage," MSU head coach Harry Jadun told Spartans Illustrated. "(I'm) excited for him to take one more step towards the national championship today as he downed a very tough conference opponent. We will see what he can do in the semifinals against Alabama!"

During his playing days, Jadun also made program history, advancing to the national semifinals of the NCAA Championships in doubles alongside his 2015 partner, John Patrick Mullane. Baris is the first MSU singles player to make it to the singles national semifinals.

Up next, Baris will take on Alabama’s Filip Planinsek in the semifinals on Friday.

Baris, the Big Ten Player of the Year, was the No. 8 overall seed in the singles tournament. On Monday, he opened with a straight set victory over Auburn’s Tyler Stice, 6-2, 6-4, in the round of 64.

Then, he sealed his spot in the Sweet 16 on Tuesday with a comeback win over Samir Banerjee of Stanford. Baris dropped the first set, 4-6. However, he fought back and dominated the second set, 6-0, and third set, 6-2, to claim the win and secure All-American status.

On Wednesday, Baris faced TCU’s Jack Pinnington, who had won 12 straight matches and hadn’t lost since March 28 before he faced the Okemos native. Pinnington was also just coming off of a team championship run with the Horned Frogs.

Baris won in straight sets. He controlled the first set, winning it 6-1. The second set was more competitive. It went to a tiebreaker which Baris won 7-5 to claim the win. On Wednesday, Baris became the second Spartan ever to advance to the quarterfinals joining Mashiska Washington (1994).

This all set up Thursday’s matchup with Anthrop and Baris' win in straight sets to secure his historic spot in the final four.

More Michigan State men's tennis coverage:

From May 2023: Ozan Baris looking to accomplish a number of 'firsts' for MSU men's tennis

From Nov. 2023: Ozan Baris & Max Sheldon's national title sets 'standard' for MSU tennis

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