Conference play officially began for Illinois women’s tennis as the team took on Minnesota and Wisconsin this weekend at home. The Illini came out of Friday and Sunday’s matches 1-1, resulting in the team currently sitting in eighth place in the Big Ten.

Friday saw Illinois snap its two-game losing streak by taking down Minnesota in the Big Ten opener. The Illini did not disappoint and defeated a strong Gophers side who are now 12-5 overall. The match began with doubles play where Illinois came out with a starting doubles lineup of freshman Megan Heuser paired with sophomore Kate Duong, the junior duo of Josie Frazier and Ashley Yeah, and the team of junior Emily Casati and freshman Kasia Treiber.

Frazier/Yeah triumphed first, defeating Minnesota’s Dalila Said/Anfisa Danilchenko 6-3.

The doubles point was secured after Heuser/Duong took down the Gopher team of Rachel Hanford and former Illini Emilee Duong by a 6-4 score. Casati/Treiber had their match go unfinished and were in the middle of a close 5-5 set with Maria Rizzolo/Lucy Lu at the time of stoppage. This clinch put Illinois up 1-0 on Minnesota.

The Illini dominance continued in singles play, beginning with a top performance from Kate Duong on Court 1. The sophomore claimed a strong 6-2, 6-1 victory over Rachel Hanford to add a second point to the board for Illinois. The third point came from Court 5 as Treiber defeated Anfisa Danilchenko 6-1, 6-3, but the Gophers got one back after Maria Rizzolo defeated Heuser 6-2, 7-6 (4) on Court 4.

However, the final, winning point for the Illini came from Yeah on Court 2, as she faced a former teammate in Emilee Duong. After a strong first set, Yeah dropped the second, before returning to form to claim the third set, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2. Frazier and freshman Kida Ferrari had their matches go unfinished on Courts 3 and 6 respectively. Frazier was in the midst of a 6-2, 3-5 contest against Vasia Karvouni when her match was called, and Ferrari was battling in the third set against Dalila Said 2-6, 6-3, 1-3 at the time of stoppage. Final score, Illinois 4-1 Minnesota.

The Gophers had the best overall record of any team the Illini had faced at home so far this season. The 4-1 win was the 11th-straight Illinois victory against Minnesota and was a great way to kick off Big Ten play. However, the Illini weren’t finished with their week yet, as two days later, rivals Wisconsin came into town.

The Illini got set to defend Atkins against the Badgers on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon. Moving outdoors to Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex for the first time this spring, Illinois looked to continue the momentum gained from Friday’s win. However, Wisconsin had other plans.

Doubles play saw the Illini come out with the same lineups as Friday, but this time only the duo of Frazier/Yeah were able to claim a win. The junior team took down the Badgers duo of Taylor Cataldi and Antonela Stoica by a 6-1, but it was Wisconsin who ended up claiming the doubles point. Duong/Heuser were defeated by No. 43 Alina Mukhortova/Xinyu Cai 6-3, and Casati/Treiber were taken down 6-4 by Ava Markham/Ariel Johnson, giving the Badgers the advantage heading into singles. Illinois 0-1 Wisconsin.

An Illini comeback in singles play fell short as the Badgers continued to add points to the board. Ferrari lost to Charmaine Seah 6-1, 6-2 on Court 6 and Heuser fell to Antonela Stoica 7-5, 6-1 on Court 4 to give Wisconsin two more points. However, a big win on Court 2 from Yeah against No. 111 Xinyu Cai 6-0, 7-6 (7-1) kept Illinois in it. The Illini resurgence continued as Duong triumphed over Ava Markham 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 for the team’s second point. Illinois 2-3 Wisconsin.

Unfortunately for the Illini, wins for the Badgers on Courts 3 and 5 sealed the contest. Frazier and Treiber both battled hard and forced third sets, but fell to Alina Mukhortova (3-6, 6-2, 6-0) and Taylor Cataldi (3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)) respectively. Final score, Illinois 2-5 Wisconsin.

With this win, the Badgers became the first team to beat the Illini at home this season. Illinois were on an impressive seven-game win streak playing in Urbana. The team is 7-0 at Atkins Tennis Center and now 0-1 at Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex.

Illinois (8-6) will be back in action next weekend as they take on conference opponents Maryland (11-1) and Rutgers (5-7) at home.

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