It took four grueling sets, but Matt Forbes made history. It wasn’t just history for himself, but history for Michigan State men’s tennis.

Last week in Kalamazoo, Forbes, an incoming freshman at Michigan State, was playing in the USTA Boys’ 18U National Championships. He was up against Jack Kennedy in the final with the winner of the match sealing his spot in the main draw of the upcoming US Open.

Forbes, the 20-seed in the tournament, took the first two sets of the match 6-3, 6-3. He dropped the third set, 4-6, and, when Kennedy took a 4-2 lead in the fourth set, it looked like the match would head to a fifth and deciding set.

Then, the tide turned in Forbes’ favor as he took five of the next six games to win both the set and match.

When Kennedy’s final backhand shot went out of bounds, Forbes dropped his racket and fell to the ground and let out all his emotions.

“It was a really hard tournament to win,” Forbes told Spartans Illustrated. “It’s a tournament that’s so prestigious. A bunch of great guys (have) won it. It was my first singles tournament I’ve won in (seemingly) forever. So, it was nice. It was like all of my hard work was worth it.”

With the win, Forbes will be the first Spartan ever to play in the US Open.

Throughout the tournament, Forbes knew what the end goal was — winning the tournament and making the US Open. However, he didn’t want that pressure to weigh too heavily on his shoulders.

“I tried to not let the pressure of playing in the US Open get to me,” he said. “Just go out there and have fun and just let all my strokes fly. And everything will fall right into place.”

In just two seasons in charge of Michigan State men’s tennis, head coach Harry Jadun and the Spartans have been making waves. From Ozan Baris’ success in singles to new heights being reached by the team, including the most team wins in program history (23), Michigan State is an up-and-coming program with what appears to be the best yet to come.

Jadun landing Forbes on the recruiting trail is just the latest of achievements that will help the program keep ascending the college tennis ladder.

“So excited for Matt to take the crown at ‘Nats at the Zoo,'" Jadun said to Spartans Illustrated, referencing the Nationals at Kalamazoo tournament. “Such a big accomplishment for him and his family after years of hard work. We can’t wait to welcome him on campus and (we) look for big things in his future.”

Forbes is from North Carolina and he was recruited by many southern schools to play tennis, but Michigan State stood out to him in his recruiting process.

“The coaching staff is great,” he said. “The team’s great. I knew a couple guys going into my visit, so that helped a little bit. And overall, Michigan State is fighting for national championships and they gave me the best opportunity to go to the pros.”

Forbes believes that Jadun and assistant coaches Mike Flowers and Kazuki Matsuno can get the most out of him.

“All the coaches there are great, to be honest,” he said. “They all play their role perfectly. Harry’s been great. He’s always believed in my game. And I think that him, Mike Flowers, and Kazuki (Matsuno) can take me to the next level.”

The US Open begins on Monday, Aug. 26 and it goes until Sunday, Sept. 8. Forbes is a wild card in the main draw, which means he will play one of the top seeds in the first round. There is someone that Forbes has his eye on for a potential first round match – 21-year old Ben Shelton, who is ranked No. 14 in the world.

“It would be fun if I played Ben Shelton,” Forbes said. “That would be pretty fun because on a recruiting visit two years ago, I had a chance to talk to him and hang around him a little bit. He’s a great guy and somebody I really look up to as a role model. So, it would be really nice to play him.”

This will no doubt be the biggest stage Forbes has ever played on. He’s played at all four grand slams on the junior level – Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and US Open. However, this will be his first grand slam at the pro level.

“It would be nice to make a statement,” Forbes said when asked about what he wants to prove. “It would be nice to win matches and stuff like that. I just want to show people how good I really am, have some fun. It’s rare to get the opportunity to play in the actual U.S. Open, so why not make the most of it?”

Forbes says he plays his best when he doesn’t think about the pressure or when he doesn’t let the moment get too big. He plays his best when he’s having fun and when he’s loose. That’s what he’ll be looking to do in New York City.

“When I’m loose, when I’m enjoying myself on the court, I play so much better,” he said. “Why not do it again?”

The NCAA has been at the forefront of many lawsuits in recent years. The lawsuit most prominent in the collegiate tennis world is Brantmeier v. NCAA.

North Carolina’s Reese Brantmeier sued the NCAA earlier this year over prize money restrictions. There is an NCAA rule that prohibits college tennis players from accepting more than $10,000 per year in prize money before attending college.

The Brantmeier case has not reached a ruling or settlement at the time of publishing.

The minimum prize money in the US Open singles tournaments, which Forbes will participate in, is $100,000. However, Forbes can only accept a fraction of that paycheck if he wants to maintain his college eligibility.

Forbes says he is planning to maintain his college eligibility and accept the allotted prize money ($10,000) that will allow him to do that.

“The money is nice, but I don’t play tennis just for the money,” he told Spartans Illustrated this week as he was preparing for the US Open.

While it likely isn't on the same level as the six figures prize money for just playing in the main draw at the US Open, one of MSU’s NIL collectives — "This is Sparta!" — has a financial package for Forbes once he gets to campus this fall. "This is Sparta!" has helped Jadun and the Spartans land and continue to financially support several key pieces on the team, including Baris, Aristotelis Thanos (last year's Big Ten freshman of the year), and others.

“The landscape with NIL is ever-changing and it is our job to make sure we are adapting every single day to stay at the forefront of a competitive environment,” Jadun said. “This is a team effort and obviously 'This is Sparta!' has led the charge.”

As for Forbes, he's excited to begin his studies in East Lansing this fall.

“Having a degree is huge for me and my family," said Forbes. "Because if anything were to go wrong with my tennis career — God forbid that happens — then at least I have a degree to lean on.”

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