Ozan Baris Eyes Bright Tennis Future After Time At Edwardsville Futures

EDWARDSVILLE — Ozan Baris of Okemos, Michigan, capped a strong week at the Edwardsville Futures Tennis Tournament, presented by The EGHM Foundation, with a runner-up finish Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, falling to Vignesh Gogineni 6-4, 6-2 in the final at the Edwardsville Tennis Center.

Baris, a recent graduate of Michigan State University in East Lansing, said after the match that Gogineni was the better player in the championship, while also taking pride in his run to the final.

“I thought I played some really good tennis; I fought hard throughout the week,” Baris said. “Today, I came up short; Vignesh played better than me, so that’s how it kind of goes sometimes.”

The match ended on Gogineni’s ninth match point, when he hit a drop shot in a deuce game to clinch the title.

Baris said his time playing for the Spartans in the Big Ten helped prepare him for the start of his professional career.

“I think, more than anything, it gave me time to mature,” Baris said, “keep growing my game, keep growing as a person, and now that I am a professional tennis player, I feel more ready — there’s no other way to put it, but then kind of doing this for my job, for my career.”

Baris also praised the tournament and the Edwardsville community for their support during the week.

“It was great,” Baris said. “Everything was exceptional. They took good care of us, great fans today and throughout the week. Just overall, a great experience.”

As for whether he could return to Edwardsville in the future, Baris said it will depend on where his ranking takes him.

“We’ll see,” Baris said. “Hopefully, my ranking will be high enough that I’ll be playing in an ATP somewhere, but if not, I’d love to come back here.”

For now, Baris said he remains focused on continuing to improve as he begins his professional career.

“At the end of the day, life goes on,” Baris said, “you keep moving forward, keep trying to get better every day, and hopefully, I can string some more good tournaments together, and keep moving my ranking up.”

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