After dropping its season opener last weekend, No. 25 Illinois (1-2) travelled to New York City to compete in the ITA Kickoff. The team faced a pair of ranked teams in No. 13 Columbia (2-2) and No. 23 Kentucky (3-2).
During the team’s first matchup against Columbia, freshman Adam Jilly and senior Kenta Miyoshi kept rolling. The duo secured the lone Illini victory in doubles play as the team fell short of the point. Singles play proved to be a strong point for Illinois despite struggling in its previous outing against Mississippi State.
Freshman Gabriel Debru delivered a key victory, defeating No. 65 Sachin Palta in a three-set win. This proved to be a headline match for the freshman on the team, as Sasha Colleu also captured a crucial victory despite the Illini falling just short. Colleu won on court five against Jung Hee You, defeating the sophomore in two swift sets, 6-2, 6-4.
This trend continued during the final matchup of the weekend in the Illini’s stand against the Kentucky Wildcats. Illinois was unable to capture the doubles point, with Jilly and Miyoshi suffering their first loss of the spring season.
Despite its doubles success against Mississippi State, Illinois has failed to secure a point in its two matches since.
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“Our doubles today was downright pathetic, so this team had to take a look at itself and see where they wanted to be in singles,” said head coach Brad Dancer to Fighting Illini Athletics. “It was a great response from us, led by senior Will Mroz, who did a great job of figuring out the wrinkles in his match.”
Freshman Hayden Jones got the Illini rolling as he captured a win on court six in two sets, 6-1, 6-0. The momentum carried as Mroz won court four in two sets, and Miyoshi won court one in another two sets. Debru secured the final Illinois point in a three-set win, giving the Illini their first victory of the spring season.
The Illini next host the No. 18 Duke Blue Devils (4-1) at Atkins Tennis Center on Friday. Fans will have a chance to receive a free shirt and a food voucher.
“We are really excited about all the promotions we are doing for the Duke match,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics. “We can’t wait to have an amazing crowd there for what will be our next great challenge.”
