No. 14 Illinois (15-4, 5-1) split its home weekend against No. 42 Michigan (7-7, 3-3) on Friday and No. 28 Michigan State (9-7, 6-0) on Sunday. The Illini secured the opener against the Wolverines in a 4-1 bout.
“Anyone who wants to see the best in college tennis should come out on Sunday,” said head coach Brad Dancer to Fighting Illini Athletics about the Illini’s matchup against the Spartans. “It should be an incredible showdown.”
The Illini came out on Sunday against a Spartan side that was ranked 35th in the nation, along with having three top-50 players and three top-30 duos. On the side of the Illini, senior Kenta Miyoshi and freshman Gabriel Debru are in the top 30 in singles.
A highly contested match, with all singles courts in play, wound up in tension until the final minutes. However, the Spartans secured the upset victory over the Illini, winning 4-3 to close the Illini homestand.
Maize plucked in Land of Lincoln
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Illinois’ weekend started early as the team took on Michigan Friday night, looking to secure the team’s 11th straight win.
Starting in doubles, the Illini looked to bring winning ways back after losing the doubles point the previous weekend against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Without hesitation, Illinois swooped in as redshirt sophomore Zach Viiala and freshman David Bakonyi managed Court 3 with ease. They secured a 6-3 win over senior Mert Oral and junior Alex Cairo.
Miyoshi and senior William Mroz, the 41st-ranked duo in the nation, weren’t far behind as they secured the doubles point for the Illini after defeating seniors Bjorn Swenson and Nicholas Steiglehner 6-3 on Court 2.
“Our guys are also fighting their tails off,” Dancer said to Fighting Illini Athletics. “The belief is coming.”
The win was major for the duo as it marked their fifth straight victory on the doubles court. Singles proved to be another easy feat for the Illini, despite a small hiccup on Court 1.
Viiala struck first yet again. After helping capture the opening doubles point, the redshirt sophomore found gold yet again on Court 5. Viiala completed a near double bagel over freshman Arnav Bhandari, going 6-1 and 6-0.
This win cemented Viiala’s undefeated status to open the spring season, as he now has nine straight wins.
However, Michigan found its footing on Court 1 as No. 28-ranked Debru suffered his first loss since losing at Kentucky in early February. Redshirt freshman No. 10-ranked Max Dahlin took down Debru, going 6-3, then 6-4 on Court 1.
This was Debru’s first loss on Court 1 since making his first appearance at the position in February.
Despite the momentum shift, the Illini found a way to close the game out. First, No. 23-ranked Miyoshi defeated a ranked opponent in the No. 73-ranked Swenson, in two sets by going 6-4 and 6-4 on Court 2.
Freshman Adam Jilly continued to shine as the game-clinching Illini, securing both of last weekend’s victories in singles, with another strong win on Court 4. Jilly defeated Steiglehner in two tight sets, first going 7-5 and finally 6-4.
Jilly has proven time and time again that he is the clincher for this Illini team, having been crucial in closing out matches. The freshman has continued to prove the grit seen in some of the team’s upperclassmen.
Illini’s fight unable to topple Spartans
Tension filled the air of Atkins Tennis Center in one of the toughest matches for the Illini in their Big Ten schedule.
Doubles proved to be the Achilles heel of the Illini once again, despite a successful bout to open play.
The duo of Viiala and Bakonyi went 6-3 on Court 3 over the No. 30-ranked duo of redshirt senior Aristotelis Thanos and sophomore Mitchell Sheldon.
Viiala and Bakonyi are undefeated so far this season, as the duo has gone 5-0. Viiala continues to prove his consistency and skill even in the shadow of other Illini.
However, any Illini momentum was squashed as the Spartans took Courts 1 and 2 back-to-back to seal the doubles point.
Court 1 saw Debru and Bowers suffer a speedy defeat at the hands of the No. 18-ranked duo of junior Taym Alazmeh and sophomore Danial Rakhmatullayev. The Spartans took down the Illini 6-2 to even the doubles field.
The Spartans had the last laugh as the duo of senior Ozan Baris and sophomore Matthew Forbes defeated Mroz and Miyoshi on Court 2, going to a tiebreaking 7-6(2). This was the duo’s first loss after winning their first five together.
With the doubles point out of their hands, the Illini needed to excel on the singles court. Singles opened in favor of the Illini as they were able to grab crucial wins on Courts 3 and 2.
No. 101-ranked Mroz got a swift first win to put the Illini on the board. The senior took court 3 over No. 36-ranked Baris in two sets, going 6-3 and 6-2. Mroz earned a crucial win that sets him back in the win column after losing last weekend to Wisconsin.
Miyoshi was next to see victory as he also proved his prowess in an upset win over No. 11-ranked Forbes. Miyoshi secured the win in two sets, going for a double 6-3 to win Court 2.
The Spartans struck back as Debru wound up on the opposite side of an upset. He saw defeat on Court 1 to No. 50-ranked Thanos in two sets, 6-4 and 6-1. This is the first time this season the freshman has suffered back-to-back losses.
Freshman Sasha Colleu was unable to mount a lead for Illinois as Sheldon secured Court 6. His win brought the Spartans back up, 3-2. Colleu fell in two sets, first in a 3-6 fall and then in a 5-7 nailbiter.
Viiala came right back in for the Illini, as the undefeated redshirt sophomore secured his 10th win on the season with a victory on Court 5. Viiala won over Alazmeh in three sets, grabbing the first 6-4. He then fell in the second, going away 2-6. However, the luck turned around as he secured a stellar 6-1 victory to win the court and even the score at 3-3.
The Illini player who typically was the nail in the coffin for the team saw a defeat of his own. Jilly suffered a tough three-set loss on Court 4 by Rakhmatullayev. After being the cherry on top for this Illini squad, Jilly fell after two tight sets. He dropped the first 5-7 before winning the next 7-5. However, Rakhmatullayev was too much for the freshman as the Spartan won 6-2 to secure the upset win for Michigan State.
Looking ahead
The Illini will travel this weekend to face the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (17-3, 4-1) in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday. Then Illinois will travel to University Park, Pennsylvania, to face Penn State (13-7,1-4) on Sunday.
