Three Illinois tennis players will get a sneak peek of their spring competition today when they compete in the Big Ten Singles Championship in Madison, Wis.

Pramod Dabir was a freshman the last time he competed in the tournament and was crowned consolation champion. This time, he is seeded 10th and wants to win it all.

“It’ll be a good opportunity to win some matches,” Dabir said.

Illinois associate head coach Brad Dancer thinks Dabir could be successful.

“We think (Dabir) is a guy that potentially has a shot to go in there and maybe make some noise up there,” Dancer said.

Dabir is also looking forward to seeing how the other athletes in the Big Ten have progressed through the offseason.

“It’ll be a good chance to scout people and see how things have changed since they’ve been playing,” he said.

Dabir is not the only seeded member of Illinois’ team that is competing. Freshman Monte Tucker is seeded 11th.

Over the weekend, Tucker plans to focus on little details, which he believes are key to success. Throughout the fall, he has been adjusting his serve, making it more deliberate. He is also learning to take shorter swings with his forehand instead of using big, powerful strokes.

“If I get it done, then I’ll win,” Tucker said. “The changes are going to take time because I had it nailed into me for four years, but it’s coming.”

Tucker hopes to get out of a little slump this weekend, but said he is excited to compete against other members of the Big Ten conference. He might compete against Penn State’s James Dwyer – whom Tucker played against and with in juniors.

Despite knowing his competition personally, it’ll be all business on the court, Tucker said.

The third member of the contingent competing is freshman Ruben Gonzales. Gonzales played his first two collegiate matches last weekend at the UNLV Fall Classic. He is hoping to gain more match experience this weekend.

“I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself – I’m just going to go out and play,” he said. “There will probably be a little more pressure because you’re playing the guys in the same conference.”

Dancer is looking forward to seeing Gonzales in competition for the first time this season. Last weekend, student assistant Michael Calkins coached the men who were competing in Las Vegas. He also said that although Gonzales is unseeded, that does not mean he will not be able to compete well against his opponents.

“Being seeded is completely irrelevant – we’ll go in there and play every point,” Dancer said. “It’s more of a barometer of our guys, as far as where they are at and how they are competing. We’re not too worried about the opponent.