Following an eventful summer that saw members of Illinois men’s tennis compete in professional tournaments across the globe, the team regrouped for the start of its 2024-25 season. Illinois was split up for its season-opening competitions, with No. 8 senior Karlis Ozolins and No. 42 junior Kenta Miyoshi playing in the Battle in the Bay Classic while redshirt junior Gabrielius Guzauskas and redshirt freshman Zach Viiala were at the Louisville Invitational.
The first day at the Battle in the Bay was one to forget for the Illini, as Ozolins and Miyoshi fell in the first round of the singles draw. The two fared a bit better as a duo, however, and claimed an 8-5 win over a group from California.
Friday featured a rebuttal from Miyoshi, who won his first consolation singles match against No. 103 Maxi Homberg. Miyoshi made swift work of his ranked opponent, winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. The Illini did not have as much fortune in the doubles draw and were defeated 8-4 in the quarterfinals.
Guzauskas and Viiala also had a busy Friday. The pair competed in four total matches, one singles match a piece and two doubles matches together. Guzauskas redshirted the 2023-24 season and had not played for Illinois since spring 2023, which made his victory in the first round of the singles bracket all the sweeter. Despite it being a default win due to his opponent retiring from the match, Guzauskas had a sizable lead at 7-5, 4-3.
Illinois kept rolling on Saturday as Miyoshi took down two more ranked opponents and Guzauskas advanced to the finals match.
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Miyoshi got through his matches in straight sets once again, toppling No. 37 Pedro Vives (7-5, 6-4) and No. 109 Casper Christensen (6-3, 7-5). The next day brought more high-level opponents, as Miyoshi was up against No. 91 Savriyan Danilov in the consolation final. However, Miyoshi worked quickly for yet another straight-set ranked win and took Danilov down 7-5, 6-2.
“It’s really a tribute to him (Miyoshi),” said head coach Brad Dancer. “He goes out there with big expectations, wants to do really well in the tournament, and then he loses first round. It’s very easy at that point to become discouraged and needless to say, he did the exact opposite. To hop back on the horse and get to work…that’s what Kenta has done his whole time here. That’s why I think he continues to grow.”
Over in Louisville, Guzauskas was just as dominant. Guzauskas’ trip to the finals saw victories over opponents from Bellarmine and Eastern Kentucky, where he dropped 12 total games. Guzauskas’ efforts earned him a meeting with Kentucky’s Martin Breysach in the finals, where he was ultimately defeated in a pair of tight-knit sets (7-6(6), 7-5).
Viiala got in on the winning as well, rebounding from a 6-0, 7-5 loss to pick up two consolation victories. The Perth native continued to dominate with another win in the consolation final to close the weekend (6-4, 6-3).
“Zach (Viiala) lost his first eight games of his college career,” Dancer said. “I think he felt like, ‘holy cow, what’s going on out here?’ What an awesome, awesome response by him. It was really fantastic. By the end of the weekend, he was the one that was bringing the competitive fire to the matches. Great, growing weekend for Zach.”
The Illini will be back in action this weekend at the Harvard Chowderfest and ITA All-American Championships.
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