Junior Jeremy Zhang was the lone Illini representative at the Big Ten Individual Championships this weekend. Zhang sliced his way through the first two rounds before losing in the quarterfinals.
Zhang opened the competition in round two after receiving a first-round bye. His tournament began against Northwestern’s sophomore Vincent Yang.
The junior showcased early flickerings of dominance, capturing victory in two sets. He won the first set 7-6(1), then secured the second in a swift 6-2 outing.
Zhang’s hot start pressed on as he faced Wisconsin’s junior Tomas Zlatohlavek in round three. Zlatohlavek was a familiar face for the junior, as Zhang paired against the Badger in the singles consolation bracket in the ITA Midwest Regionals.
There, Zhang achieved victory after securing two 6-3 winning sets. Here, Zhang controlled the matchup again, securing another two-set victory after 6-4, 6-2 wins.
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Zhang punched his ticket to the quarterfinals, where he faced another Badger in sophomore Patrik Meszaros. Zhang’s run came to an end there, as the junior dropped consecutive sets 6-3 against Meszaros.
The Illini are back in action this week at the ITA Central Sectional in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which runs from Thursday to Sunday.
