Michigan State University
(6) USC
No. 21 Michigan State Advances to Big Ten Semifinals As Sheldon Makes History
4/25/2025 10:56:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Spartans defeat (6) USC behind Sheldon’s record-tying match performance.
COLUMBUS, Ohio. – Third-seeded Michigan State men's tennis secured their quarterfinal victory against (6) USC, 4-2, in the Big Ten tournament on Friday night at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus, Ohio.
After the start of the match-up between the Spartans and Trojans got underway nearly an hour-and-a-half later than originally scheduled, due to the day's previous matches going long, MSU came out firing on all cylinders and knocked off USC. With the win, MSU advances to its second-straight B1G Tournament semifinals.
Adding to the match's dramatics, Spartan senior Max Sheldon tied an MSU program record for most career wins, tying Nick Rinks (2005-08) with 167.
After his doubles match went unfinished, Max Sheldon defeated USC's Volodymyr Iakubenko, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 3 singles to tie the MSU record.
Ma. Sheldon will have a chance to go for the record on Saturday when the third-seeded Spartans meet second-seeded UCLA in the semifinals. The Bruins knocked off No. 7 seed Michigan, 4-1, Friday.
Saturday's battle between the Bruins and the Spartans is slated for 2 p.m., following the completion of the other semifinal between No. 4 seed Washington and No. 1 seed Ohio State.
Returning to previous pairings, the Spartans open doubles play with junior Ozan Baris and freshman Matthew Forbes at the No. 1 spot.
Redshirt-sophomore Aristotelis Thanos teamed up with freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev at No. 2, while the brother duo of senior Max Sheldon and freshman Mitchell Sheldon completed the Spartan lineup at No. 3 doubles.
Thanos and Radjenovic set the tone early for Michigan State, cruising to a 6-1 doubles win over Matteo Morazzi and Nathan Trouve from USC.
Baris and Forbes followed up with a 6-3 victory over Tristan Bradley and Peter Makk of USC, clinching the doubles point for the Spartans.
With the point secured, the final doubles match went unfinished.
Carrying the momentum into singles play, the Green and White quickly took control.
Freshman Vuk Radjenovic struck first in singles, earning a dominant 6-4, 6-1 win over USC's Tristan Bradley.
Shortly after, Ma. Sheldon tied program history with his win over Iakubenko.
USC responded with back-to-back wins to tighten the match. Peter Makk earned the Trojans' first point with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Thanos, followed by a hard-fought comeback from Nathan Trouve, who edged out Baris 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
With the match hanging in the balance, Forbes stepped up and delivered the clincher, defeating Karl Lee 6-3, 7-5 to seal the Spartans' spot in the Big Ten semifinals.
As a result, the final singles match went unfinished.
Up Next:
The Green and White will face No. 2 UCLA in a Big Ten Tournament semifinal match on Saturday, April 26, at 2 p.m. ET. The semifinal showdown between the Spartans and Bruins is a rematch from the regular-season clash, as UCLA beat MSU, 4-1, in Los Angeles on April 13.
Results
(3) Michigan State 4 (15-8, 10-3 B1G), (6) USC 2 (14-9, 8-5 B1G)
USC vs Michigan State
4/25/2025 at Columbus, Ohio
Ty Tucker Tennis Center
Singles
1. #17 Peter Makk (USC) def. #39 Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Nathan Trouve (USC) def. #13 Ozan Baris (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
3. #102 Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Volodymyr Iakubenko (USC) 6-4, 6-1
4. #111 Matthew Forbes (MSU) def. Karl Lee (USC) 6-3, 7-5
5. Mitchell Sheldon (MSU) vs. Connor Church (USC) 3-6, 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
6. Vuk Radjenovic (MSU) def. Tristan Bradley (USC) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
1. Matthew Forbes/Ozan Baris (MSU) def. Tristan Bradley/Peter Makk (USC) 6-3
2. D. Rakhmatullayev/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) def. Matteo Morazzi/Nathan Trouve (USC) 6-1
3. Mitchell Sheldon/Max Sheldon (MSU) vs. Volodymyr Iakubenko/Connor Church (USC) 5-3, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (6,3,1,2,4)
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,3,1,2,4
Players Mentioned
