Michigan State men's and women’s tennis closed out their 2025–26 regular seasons on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum this weekend — a history-chasing win for the men and a reflective, hard-fought finale for the women.

On the women’s side, the Spartans’ final match of the season against Michigan carried emotion. A rivalry against Michigan always does, regardless of the sport, but this one never quite tipped fully in MSU’s favor.

Doubles set the tone early. The No. 1 pair of sophomore Ellie Blackford and senior Matilde Morais delivered a composed 6–4 win, but Michigan answered back. A tightly contested match at No. 2, featuring sophomore Amara Brahmbhatt and redshirt junior Hanna Tsitsavets, slipped into a tiebreak, where the Wolverines pulled away 7–3. A decisive 6–1 result at No. 3, where sophomore Nina Plihal and senior Issey Purser battled, handed Michigan the doubles point.

From there, singles became the place of opportunity. 

Amara Brahmbhatt was the clear bright spot for MSU. In a match defined by control, she battled through a first-set tiebreak, taking it 7–6 (7–2), before closing out the second set 6–4. Her powerful backhand and ability to dictate play stood out in a lineup where momentum was otherwise hard to sustain.

“I mean, if you look at our one and two, they’ve been so solid for us all year,” head coach Kim Bruno said. “Amara just goes out there and plays her game, controlling the court on her terms. When she does that, she’s unbelievably successful.”

But across the rest of the courts, MSU struggled to hold leads or shift momentum. Ellie Blackford opened strong with a 6–2 first set before dropping the second 6–1 as the match flipped. Matilde Morais, Hanna Tsitsavets and Nina Plihal all found themselves caught in the same pattern — flashes of strong play undone by Michigan’s consistency and power.

Matilde Morais lost momentum and couldn’t hold onto early leads in either set, dropping the match 6–4, 6–3. On Court 5, Nina Plihal opened strong with a 6–3 first-set win but couldn’t hold off the comeback, dropping the next two sets 6–3, 6–3.

Following this, Hanna Tsitsavets faced a tough outing of her own, falling 6–2, 6–0 as Michigan’s pace and control dictated play throughout the match.