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Matthew Forbes is heading to the US Open before joining the growing MSU tennis

Matthew Forbes carries the USTA 18s national championship trophy after winning the title on Sunday in Kalamazoo.

Matthew Forbes hasn't arrived on the Michigan States campus yet, but he's already poised to do something no Spartan has ever done in the main draw of the US Open tennis tournament, which begins later this month in New York.

Forbes, an incoming MSU freshman from North Carolina, will unpack his bags in East Lansing next week and face one of the world’s best players in the first round of the U.S. Open a few days later. The draw has yet to be determined. But Forbes is in the mix by virtue of winning the USTAs Boys 18s national title Sunday in Kalamazoo.

“I'm still processing it,” Forbes said Tuesday. “Honestly, it felt like it went by so fast. I never really thought about it the whole tournament, and then when I won it, it hit me. I thought, 'Damn, I'm actually going to New York.' It's a lot to process right now.”

What’s happening now with MSU’s men’s tennis program is also a lot to process. The addition of Forbes, who enrolled and signed with the Spartans in July, is the latest development for a growing program that Forbes admittedly didn’t seriously consider two years ago when he originally signed on to play for his home-state Tar Heels. When he changed his mind, MSU was back. And more attractive.

Harry Jadun, who had just taken over as head coach at MSU during Forbes’ first recruiting campaign, has turned the Spartans into a top 25 program. He’s coming off a season filled with firsts and is entering a year that starts with the No. 1 player returning to the college ranks in junior Ozan Baris.

RELATED: Bench: Under Ozan Baris, MSU's men's tennis program has grown rapidly

They’re completely different, Forbes said of the MSU program then and now. Harry always had a vision. That coaching staff, they want to win national championships. They have the same goals that I do. They always have, but they’re making it a reality. MSU has so many great players. I’m going to have to fight to get my spot.

That's the right attitude. He'll also be as highly regarded as anyone the Spartans have ever brought in, including Baris, who grew up in Okemos.

I used to look up to the Kalamazoo winners and say, Those guys are untouchable, Jadun said. Those guys, they go to the Virginias of the world, the USCs, those blue-blood programs where a lot of the best juniors have gone. I mean, it still hasn’t really sunk in that we have the player who won the Kalamazoo Boys 18s. It’s the best junior player 18 and under coming to Michigan State, and he’s going to play in the U.S. Open and (the MSU coaching staff) we’re going to be standing in the box with a star player, playing against one of the best 100 players in the world on the biggest stage in tennis. It doesn’t seem real at all.

Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Rod Laver have all won singles or doubles titles in Kalamazoo over the years. Baris was third in the Boys 18s two years ago. Forbes was fifth last year.

This year, Forbes learned from his experience two years ago, when he played in the 16 in Kalamazoo and the winner earned entry to the US Junior Open.

I went into that tournament so excited. I was so nervous, so I lost earlier than I should have, Forbes said. I felt like I was the favorite to win that tournament, or at least one of the favorites. Two years later, I felt like I was in a similar position (in the 18s), so (it took) me not to give in to what was at stake. That was a big step. Ultimately, I felt like whoever thought least about what was at stake was going to win the match.

Forbes defeated Jack Kennedy in Sunday's final 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.

He can hit the ball mach 100, Jadun said of Forbes. But sometimes he slows down a bit and plays a bit more defensively. I think he has to be aggressive to play his best tennis. He has to go up against the other guy. And that's actually what we've been encouraging him to do the whole tournament, and he did a great job in the final.

The victory in Kalamazoo was confirmation for Forbes that harder work would ultimately lead to better results.

This year has been pretty tough, results-wise. I haven't played as well as I would have liked, Forbes said. To be honest, I thought the year had gotten away from me a little bit until this. I've been working harder than ever. I've been wondering, why, when I was working the hardest, am I losing the most?

At the US Open, it would be quite a surprise if Forbes made it past the first round of the main draw, given the proven pro hell face. There, unlike Kalamazoo, it’s all about the experience.

I'm looking forward to seeing how my game stacks up against all the pros and what I need to do to get better, Forbes said. And I'm also curious to see what they do, how they prepare for games, what they eat, things like that. Just the little things that I'm excited about.

If he loses early, he plans to stay and play in the US Open junior draw, then it's back to MSU.

It was everything I could want in a school, said Forbes, who is already familiar with some of the players on the MSU team. I think MSU gives you the best chance to go pro. And that's what I'm looking for. And I also want to compete for national championships.

These are dreams that weren’t once associated with MSU tennis. Dreams that changed with Jadun and his staff and Baris and Big Ten freshman of the year Aristotelis Thanos, and with MSU’s NIL collective, This is Sparta! (via Charitable Gift America), which has given Jadun and his program the resources to compete for top players.

Sources

1/ https://Google.com/

2/ https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/sports/columnists/graham-couch/2024/08/13/matthew-forbes-is-u-s-open-bound-before-joining-surging-michigan-state-tennis/74774610007/

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Matthew Forbes is heading to the US Open before joining the growing MSU tennis

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Matthew Forbes is heading to the US Open before joining the growing MSU tennis

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