​EAST LANSING — The Capital City Tennis Classic at Michigan State is underway, featuring current and former MSU players, elite college players from across the country and pros fresh onto the International Tennis Federation scene.Established in 2019, the tournament will be played for the first time at Spartan Tennis, the new home of MSU tennis that was dedicated in May after a $10 million facility upgrade.”This was a project in collaboration with community members to bring this tournament to East Lansing,” said former MSU tennis coach Harry Jadun, who helps run the tournament. “It’s pretty cool for it to be the first major event this summer that showcases that investment in the facilities by Michigan State. It progresses through the week, and the competition gets better and better. “These are the types of guys you’re going to be seeing playing in Grand Slams in a few years, just cutting their teeth into the circuit.”The tournament consists of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams playing in a knockout bracket that runs through Aug. 16. Players from over 20 countries are represented, competing for a chance to improve their ITF World Tour ranking and potentially move up onto the Challenger Tour — the second tier of professional tennis before the ATP Grand Slam level.Some of the top competitors include Australian James McCabe, the top seed in the tournament who has played in multiple Grand Slams. Sebastian Gorzny, an NCAA champion, is the No. 2 seed and will be playing in the U.S. Open this year. Former Spartan and Big Ten Player of the Year Ozan Baris is the No. 3 seed and is a former winner of the Capital City Classic in 2023.Other competitors include Ohio State’s Nikita Filin, who will play doubles in the U.S. Open, as well as current MSU players Mitchell Sheldon, Lincoln Battle and Thomas Nelson.”With collegiate players being allowed to play, this is a way for those players to test the waters and see if they’re ready, sort of like amateurs in golf, to see if they’re ready to turn pro,” Jadun said. “It’s a cool part of the summer circuit that we’ve got here, and hopefully it’s a staple for years to come.”The semifinals will take place on Aug. 15, starting at 11 a.m., and the championship matches will be Aug. 16 at noon.Admission is free. More information can be found at capitalcitytennisclassic.comContact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_BottThis article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Capital City Tennis Classic provides chance for college, pro players to shine