Sunday, September 14
San Francisco, Calif
Michigan State University
vs
Battle in the Bay
Photo by: Hallie Walker / Mississippi State Athletics
Baris Leads Spartans’ Strong Start at Battle in the Bay
9/14/2025 7:35:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Spartan senior finishes as runner-up at season-opening tourney.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State men's tennis players Taym Alazmeh and Ozan Baris traveled to San Francisco, California, to compete in both doubles and singles action at the Battle in the Bay Tournament over the weekend. Baris reached the final, finishing as the runner-up, while Alazmeh reached the consolation final.
Baris, a senior, had an impressive four-match win streak to reach the finals. He defeated Adam Jilly of Illinois in a close, three-set match (4-6, 6-3, 7-5), followed by straight-set victories over Neo Niedner of San Diego (6-3, 6-2), Sasha Rozin of Arizona (6-0, 6-1), and UCSB's Dominique Rolland (7-6, 6-4) to reach the final. Baris fell short to Duncan Chan of TCU in the final (5-7, 4-6) and finished as the tournament runner-up.
In singles, Alazmeh, a junior, faced a challenging opener, falling in three sets to Santiago Giamichelle of Georgia (3-6, 6-3, 3-6). He then bounced back with victories over Stian Klaassen from San Diego (6-4, 6-3) and Niels Villard of Arizona State (6-3, 6-2), to earn a spot in the consolation finals. He ultimately lost to Georgia's Derrick Chen in three sets (2-6, 4-6, 8-10).
In doubles, Baris and Alazmeh started the weekend off strong with back-to-back wins over Jelani Sarr and Niels Villard of Arizona State (8-5) and Lucca Lio and Dominique Rolland of UC Santa Barbara (8-6), before falling to Timofey Stepanov and Tiago Silva of Cal in a closely contested, 8-6, match.
After an impressive start to the fall competition schedule, the Spartans look to carry momentum into the ITA All-American Championships next weekend, Sept. 20-28, in Tulsa, Okla.
Baris, a senior, had an impressive four-match win streak to reach the finals. He defeated Adam Jilly of Illinois in a close, three-set match (4-6, 6-3, 7-5), followed by straight-set victories over Neo Niedner of San Diego (6-3, 6-2), Sasha Rozin of Arizona (6-0, 6-1), and UCSB's Dominique Rolland (7-6, 6-4) to reach the final. Baris fell short to Duncan Chan of TCU in the final (5-7, 4-6) and finished as the tournament runner-up.
In singles, Alazmeh, a junior, faced a challenging opener, falling in three sets to Santiago Giamichelle of Georgia (3-6, 6-3, 3-6). He then bounced back with victories over Stian Klaassen from San Diego (6-4, 6-3) and Niels Villard of Arizona State (6-3, 6-2), to earn a spot in the consolation finals. He ultimately lost to Georgia's Derrick Chen in three sets (2-6, 4-6, 8-10).
In doubles, Baris and Alazmeh started the weekend off strong with back-to-back wins over Jelani Sarr and Niels Villard of Arizona State (8-5) and Lucca Lio and Dominique Rolland of UC Santa Barbara (8-6), before falling to Timofey Stepanov and Tiago Silva of Cal in a closely contested, 8-6, match.
After an impressive start to the fall competition schedule, the Spartans look to carry momentum into the ITA All-American Championships next weekend, Sept. 20-28, in Tulsa, Okla.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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