Kevin Anderson’s goal before his graduation is to establish himself as a successful pro tennis player. After qualifying for his third professional Challenger Series event — as a junior – he may be getting a little ahead of himself.

Anderson defeated a trio of professionals this weekend, culminating in a 6-4, 7-5 win Monday over second-seeded Eric Nunez that earned him a spot in the Music Series Challenger in Nashville, Tenn.

In the process, Anderson saved a match point against Brian Wilson, once the No. 1 collegiate player in the country with the Illini and a former NCAA doubles champion. After losing the first set 3-6, Anderson found himself on the verge of defeat in the second before rallying to pull out the last two sets 7-6 and 6-4, head coach Brad Dancer said.

“Saving a match point like that, it really builds your confidence for the future,” Dancer said. “It was good for Kevin but sad for Brian.”

In his final qualifying match, Anderson fell into a 3-0 second set hole against Nunez before rallying to win. Dancer, though, said Anderson’s biggest victory might have been his first over Eric Taino.

“Taino, in the first round, might have been the best of the three,” Dancer said. “But at that level, they’re all big. Those guys are all top-250 (ranked) players.”

The qualifying field also included Rajeev Ram and Ryler DeHeart, both former Illinois tennis players, and several up-and-coming American players. The main draw of the Challenger will be even tougher, including former Wimbledon and U.S. Open finalist Mark Philippoussis. Anderson’s first-round opponent could be one of four tough opponents, any of which, Dancer said, could pose a difficult test.

“The qualifiers got stuck with some really tough draws,” Dancer said.

Last year, Anderson qualified for the United States Tennis Association Challenger of Champaign-Urbana at Atkins Tennis Center and another Challenger in Kentucky. He has never advanced past the second round at a Challenger Series event.

Anderson is the highest-ranked member of the Illini men’s tennis team, but is playing at the event on his own, unaffiliated with the team. Junior Brandon Davis and Marc Spicijaric originally planned to travel to Nashville with Anderson but found out at the last minute that they had not made it into the qualifying draw. Anderson was the last person to qualify, Dancer said, but showed he deserved his spot.

“He’s still got work to do, but I think this just shows how his game is continuing to progress,” Dancer said.