Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Upsets No. 20 Michigan State
4/11/2026 8:40:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: Michigan 4, No. 20 Michigan State 2
Records: U-M (10-9, 6-5 Big Ten), Michigan State (13-8, 10-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 11 -- vs. Toledo (Varsity Tennis Center), 8 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's tennis team posted a 4-2 upset over No. 20-ranked Michigan State on Saturday (April 11) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Senior Bjorn Swenson, ranked No. 65, delivered a three-set win over No. 14-ranked Matthew Forbes at No. 2 singles to clinch the victory for Michigan (10-9, 6-5 Big Ten) and hand the Spartans their first conference loss of the season.
Forbes took a 6-1 first set before Swenson battled back to win the second, 6-3. Finishing with two straight breaks, Swenson secured the match with a 6-3 third-set victory.
Michigan State (13-8, 10-1 Big Ten), boasting three ranked doubles pairs, claimed the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.
No. 50-ranked Ozan Baris made it 2-0 for MSU with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Mert Oral at No. 3 singles.
Alex Cairo put Michigan on the board with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Taym Alazmeh at No. 5 singles.
Shortly after, Nicholas Steiglehner evened the match at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Danial Rakhmatullayev at No. 4.
No. 8-ranked Max Dahlin pushed Michigan ahead 3-2 with a 6-1, 7-6 (1) victory over No. 31 Aristotelis Thanos, allowing just one point in the tiebreak.
Swenson clinched the match at No. 2 singles, while Arnav Bhandari was in a third set at No. 6 when play was halted.
Michigan will conclude its doubleheader Saturday evening (April 11), hosting Toledo at 8 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 8 Max Dahlin (U-M) d. No. 31 Aristotelis Thanos (MSU), 6-1, 7-6 (1)
No. 2 -- No. 65 Bjorn Swenson (U-M) d. No. 14 Matthew Forbes (MSU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 50 Ozan Baris (MSU) d. Mert Oral (U-M), 6-4, 6-1
No. 4 -- Nicholas Steiglehner (U-M) d. Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 -- Alex Cairo (U-M) d. Taym Alazmeh (MSU), 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 -- Arnav Bhandari (U-M) vs. Mitchell Sheldon (MSU), 7-6 (5), 2-6, 2-5, unfinished
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 55 Max Dahlin/Pierce Shaya (U-M) vs. No. 32 Taym Alazmeh/Danial Rakhmatullayev (MSU), 4-5, unfinished
No. 2 -- No. 63 Matthew Forbes/Ozan Baris (MSU) d. Bjorn Swenson/Alex Cairo (U-M), 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 62 Mitchell Sheldon/Aristotelis Thanos (MSU) d. Mert Oral/Arnav Bhandari (U-M), 6-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2; Singles 3-5-4-1-2
Players Mentioned
