Illinois (3-2) hosted Xavier (0-4) and No. 15 Duke (4-2) in a doubleheader matchup at Atkins Tennis Center on Friday. The Illini dominated in their first matchup of the day against the Musketeers, blowing by in a 7-0 victory. The Blue Devils posed an early challenge for the Illini, but they pulled through for the 4-1 upset victory.
“We’ve had some great matches with Duke over the years, and I have a ton of respect for their coaching staff and a ton of respect for their athletes,” said head coach Brad Dancer to Fighting Illini Athletics.
Under the I-L-L chants and full spectator seats, the Illini not only pulled through in victory but also performed at their highest. Despite the cold temperatures outside the Atkins Tennis Center, Illinois kept it hot inside.
“It was another really fun atmosphere here at Atkins Tennis Center tonight,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics. “I want to thank all of our fans who came out and made it a special evening.”
First-year players highlighted the event. Their performances helped the Illini pull off the terrific upset, keeping fans on their toes.
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Between the matches, freshman dominated the team’s lineups. In the match against the Musketeers, four first-year Illini found themselves on the court. The freshmen won all their singles matches in two sets, combining for 48 points while allowing only 10.
This trend was apparent even against the ranked Blue Devils, as four freshman Illini also appeared in singles.
Aussie dominates doubleheader
Freshman Hayden Jones was the standout player for Illinois. During the team’s doubleheader, Jones did not falter a single set against a Musketeer or Blue Devil. He scored a total of 24 points compared to his opponents’ total of four.
Jones was also the first Illini to win their court against the Blue Devils. He took down Duke sophomore Saahith Jayaraman in a commanding 6-1, 6-3 win. He did the same against the Musketeers in a 6-0, 6-0 win.
“You look at the emergence of Hayden Jones as a freshman, and the progress he has made in the last few weeks has been enjoyable,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics.
Jones’ spring start has been electric as the freshman has only suffered one loss on the court, coming to then-No. 13 Columbia. Jones has been a crucial factor in the Illini’s latest matchups, proving how important his play will be as the season continues.
Flashing first frames
The Illini proved strength in all courts, as every player secured the first frame in their matches against the Blue Devils and the Musketeers.
First against the Musketeers, it was simply the Illini’s night as they won doubles and singles without letting the other team win a set. Once again, Jones was the standout for Illinois as he beat Xavier sophomore Alex Kotarski with back-to-back 6-0’s.
Another freshman, David Bakonyi, also found himself victorious in his first match of the year. The first-year beat out Xavier freshman Lukas Grossman 6-2, 6-1.
“It was great to see David Bakonyi out there and pick up his first dual match wins,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics. “Any time you get more data points and more objective analysis, that’s great for the coaches.”
No. 10 Kenta Miyoshi, senior, and No. 87 Adam Jilly, freshman, continued their dominance with big wins over Xavier. Miyoshi captured court one over Xavier junior Nick Herdoiza quickly in a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Jilly also won in quick succession, finishing off Xavier redshirt freshman Max Pettingell with a pair of 6-1 wins.
Flat start, strong finish against Duke
The Illini’s matchup against the ranked Blue Devils proved to be a more intense meeting. Illinois started the match down 1-0, dropping the doubles point to Duke.
Freshmen Sasha Colleu and Gabriel Debru came close to victory on court two, coming back from 2-0 down to tie the set 3-3. Colleu had a stunning backhand that pushed momentum for the Illini. However, they were not able to secure the win in doubles, falling 6-3.
Singles proved a different story for the Illini. Jones grabbed the first win on court six to shift the matchup into a tie.
Senior William Mroz was next to secure an Illini point. However, his win wasn’t as smooth as Jones’. The first set went to a tiebreaker for the senior, with him prevailing against Duke junior Alexander Visser.
Mroz commanded the next set, shown especially in his 132 mph ace over Visser. Mroz’s serve game put him over the top and won the second game for the Illini.
“I really think the MVP of the day was senior Will Mroz and his grittiness and toughness, especially in the first set,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics. “His serving prowess came through in the end.”
Miyoshi finished next. After securing his first set 6-3, the second proved to be more of a challenge. The ranked senior was put into an intense tiebreaker that saw him prevail 8-6 to win the set 7-6 over Duke junior Cooper Williams.
“Kenta put together another fantastic performance on Court 1 and gave the crowd all the delights that they were looking for,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics.
Jilly was the final Illini to put the upset victory in their hands; he easily secured the first set 6-1 over Duke senior Gerard Planelles Ripoll. However, a back-and-forth ensued with Planelles Ripoll grabbing a crucial second-set win over Jilly, 6-3.
Jilly pulled through in the final battle, earning the first game-winning set of his career 6-3.
“Great win for the team and obviously we have a huge challenge coming up at Kentucky,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics. “We know how good they are, but we’re looking forward to it.”
The Illini will be travelling to face the Kentucky Wildcats (4-2) in Lexington, Kentucky on Sunday. This is the second time the Illini have faced the Wildcats this year. Illinois won the last meeting, 4-2, at the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 24.
