Illinois hosted the ITA Midwest Regional at the Atkins Tennis Center from Oct. 16-21. Despite a strong effort, the Illini fell short of capturing a regional title on home court. However, some valiant performances shone through, especially the doubles pairing of sophomore Tess Bucher and junior Alice Xu. The duo pushed their way to the semifinals.
“I think me and Alice just play really well together,” Bucher said. “We keep bouncing energy off each other.”
Despite some early setbacks, the Illini saw numerous cases of success in the singles and doubles fields. From the aforementioned run of Bucher and Xu to a successful singles campaign that saw senior McKenna Schaefbauer reach the quarterfinals, the Illini have made some early-season pushes that show where they can shine.
“We’ve really kind of circled this tournament as a place where we really want to try and play our best tennis,” said head coach Evan Clark. “So I think we’re in a good spot.”
Illinois played six players in the singles matches and the entire roster in doubles. This included freshmen Risa Ueno and Lizzie Isyanov, who were paired in doubles. Ueno and Isyanov also appeared in singles play, with Ueno having to start in qualifying.
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Underclassmen getting experience is crucial for the Illini as they make up five of the eight-person squad.
“They fit in really well,” Clark said. “What’s impressed me is they kind of stepped in and have been able to compete right away.”
A late singles push
Singles matches for the Illini began in qualifying. Ueno was pitted against Wisconsin junior Ellison Reynoldson. Junior Rosie Seccia squared off against Illinois State senior Silvia Pomarolli.
Ueno fell first in a 6-2, 7-6 defeat to Reynoldson, falling short in the second set after losing a close tiebreaker. However, Seccia pushed through for the Illini, capturing victory over Pomarolli in a swift 6-4, 6-3 two-set victory. Seccia moved on to face Northern Illinois freshman Sophia Shlyakhta. This ended the Illini in qualifying after Seccia fell 6-4, 6-3 in two sets to Shlyakhta.
Xu and Bucher happened to be the first Illini to lose in the singles main draw. Xu lost 6-2, 6-3 against Wisconsin sophomore Ekaterina Ivanova. Bucher saw the same outcome against Bradley senior Valeriia Ivanovskaia. Despite those losses, four Illini saw better results in their singles matchups.
Sophomore Ariel Madatali advanced to the round of 32 after defeating Northwestern sophomore Erica Jessel in a 6-3, 7-5 straight set win. Schaefbauer breezed by Michigan State sophomore Nina Plihal 6-0, 6-2. Sophomore Cara Mester pulled through for Illinois once again, securing an absolutely dominant 6-0, 6-1 victory over Bradley senior Mariia Pukhina. Isyanov was the final victorious Illini, defeating Badger junior Maya Bordereau, 6-4, 6-2.
Illinois split the round of 32, with two players advancing to the round of 16 and two falling just short of victory. Mester suffered a brutal 6-1, 6-0 defeat at the hands of Notre Dame freshman Sophia Holod. Isyanov closed out as well, falling to Ohio State sophomore Nao Nishino 6-0, 6-1.
However, two Illini made their mark in this stage of the tournament and advanced. First, it was a crucial two-set victory for Madatali over Wisconsin freshman Kaede Usui, going 6-4, 7-6. Schaefbauer shone yet again for the Illini, getting a huge three-set victory after falling in the first set to Wolverine freshman Gabriella Lindgren. Lindgren edged out Schaefbauer in a narrow 6-4 first set victory, but then Schaefbauer showed her skill, winning the following two sets by an even narrower 7-6.
Madatali was the next Illini to bow out. The sophomore was defeated in two sets, going 6-1, 6-1, to Michigan senior Lily Jones. As the final Illini standing, Schaefbauer made her mark. The senior went toe-to-toe with Michigan State sophomore Ellie Blackford, securing the first set 6-4 but then losing the second set by the same score. In the third, Schaefbauer pulled through, securing the round of 16 win with a 7-5 decision in the final set to make her way to the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Schaefbauer was matched against Jones, who had already knocked out another Illini. Schaefbauer finally faced defeat, falling in three sets and ending Illinois’ singles campaign. The senior secured one set in her 4-6, 7-6, 2-6 loss.
“I’m just trying to enjoy every part of my senior year, and I think that’s really helped me in the fall,” Schaefbauer said. “ … Just trying to enjoy being with everyone, enjoy being with my team and using that. Not focusing as much on the results.”
Doubles shining bright
Illinois came out swinging for the doubles matches, with all four duos winning their opening matches in the round of 64, getting their crucial eight points swiftly.
Xu and Becher both fought back in the doubles outings after suffering defeats in the opening rounds of singles play. The duo captured a dominant 8-2 victory over the Chicago State senior Mackenzie King and junior Karolina Skowronska. The pairing of Isyanov and Ueno also flew right by in their first matchup, going 8-1 over Illinois State sophomores Nicole Iosio and Sophie Marie Lowe.
Schaefbauer and Mester were the next pairing to move on up as they won a hard-fought 8-5 outing against SIUE freshman Aliya Rector and senior Paloma Hennicaux. Finally, to add to the Illinois doubles campaign was another 8-5 victory for Seccia and Madatali over Valparaiso freshmen Ana Baron and Alexandra Popa.
The round of 32 proved less than ideal for the Illini as they had three of their four pairings suffering defeat. Seccia and Madatali faced an 8-4 defeat to Notre Dame senior Bojana Pozder and sophomore Bianca Molnar. Schaefbauer and Mester fell by the same score to Northern Illinois senior Jenna Horne and sophomore Lucia Yecora.
The final defeat in the round of 32 saw Isyanov and Ueno fall flat in an 8-0 defeat to Nishino and freshman Hephzibah Oluwadare. The lone victorious pairing came from Xu and Becher, who secured a crucial 8-4 win for the Illini, giving hope for their doubles campaign. The duo defeated Plihal and Blackford and advanced to the round of 16.
In a tighter battle, the duo found success yet again. They defeated Holod and senior Akari Matsuno 8-6, finding themselves in the quarterfinals.
Xu and Becher answered the call for the Illini yet again, continuing their run. Facing Jones and sophomore Jessica Bernales, they looked to avenge the Illini singles matches thwarted by Jones. They succeeded, going 8-4 over the Wolverines duo and punching their ticket to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, the Illinois duo finally met their match as they suffered a close defeat at the hands of Northwestern sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman and junior Neena Feldman. Xu and Becher dropped the first set, going 2-6; however, they found the second set, securing it 6-4. Finally, in the tiebreaker, they fought hard but fell short with a two-point loss, 10-8.
Looking ahead
The performance of several Illinois players has led some of them to the ITA sectionals in College Station, Texas, from Nov. 6-9. Xu and Becher were able to secure their spot by advancing to the regional doubles semifinals. Schaefbauer also punched her ticket after making the singles quarterfinals.
