Big drop shots in rallies, big wins throughout the season and now, big national recognition.
Michigan State women’s tennis placed three athletes in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I National Singles and Doubles Rankings, which were released last week following the NCAA Individual Championships.
Sophomore Amara Brahmbhatt earned a No. 102 ranking in singles, while the doubles duo of Ellie Blackford and Matilde Morais checked in at No. 82 — putting the Spartans firmly on the national radar.
Brahmbhatt's ranking comes on the heels of a productive fall campaign that saw her compete at the ITA All-American Championships, the Wolverine Invitational and the ITA Midwest Regional Championships. She opened her All-American run against Clemson’s Amelie Smejkalova before bouncing back in consolation play with a pair of clutch tiebreak wins over Notre Dame’s Bianca Molnar — because nothing says resilience like winning two tiebreakers in a row.
At the Wolverine Invitational, Brahmbhatt went 1-2 in a series of tightly contested matches before turning things up a notch at the Midwest Regional Championships. There, she battled her way to the round of 16 with wins over opponents from Michigan and Northwestern — a strong finish to cap her fall slate.
The momentum carried over from a breakout 2024-25 season, during which Brahmbhatt posted a 19-9 singles record — the best on the Spartan roster. She also put together a six-match win streak in the spring and delivered MSU’s lone singles victory against sixth-seeded USC in the Big Ten Tournament.
In short: when the Spartans needed a point, Brahmbhatt delivered.
Meanwhile, the Blackford–Morais pairing has been quietly building something special on the doubles courts. The duo debuted together at the Wolverine Invitational, picking up a 6-4 victory over Iowa’s Nikita Vishwase and Emma Tothova. Then came the Spartan Invite — and they didn’t drop a single match.
Indiana, Minnesota and Xavier all fell to the Spartan pair, as Blackford and Morais swept through the invite undefeated, showcasing the chemistry that now earns them a national ranking.
Blackford, a freshman from Chelmsford, England, already brings impressive junior credentials to the lineup as a two-time Junior Wimbledon participant and an 18-and-under national doubles champion. Morais, a senior from Cascais, Portugal, complements her with elite court play, featuring quick volleys and well-executed serves.
Together, they’ve become a doubles duo that’s tough to break — and now officially ranked among the nation’s best.
MSU women’s tennis will return to action in January as the Spartans gear up for the spring season, with the full schedule set to be announced soon. Until then, the rankings serve as both a reward and a preview of what’s to come.
