Illinois men’s tennis looks to gain experience this fall

The Illinois men’s tennis team entered the fall season coming off of a Big Ten championship and a Sweet 16 departure in last season’s NCAA tournament. With the nation’s No. 6 recruiting class bringing in four freshmen, the Illini are looking to continue their winning ways this season.

The Illini were busy last month, as they kicked off their fall season at the Olympia Fields Country Club Fighting Illini Invitational on Sept. 17-19. They also competed in the University of Virginia Ranked +1 Invitational in Charlottesville, Va., as well as the Audi Napa Valley Tennis Classic in St. Helena, Calif., the following weekend.

Head coach Brad Dancer said although the fall season is all individual results with no team matches, it is still significant for the players.

“It’s just guys playing for themselves and for the prestige of the program, if you will,” Dancer said. “At this stage right now, each guy is trying to get as good as they can be. That’s really all they’re trying to do.”

Dancer said while the team may not be seeing the outcomes it wants this autumn, he is still impressed with his young roster.

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“Result-wise, we have high expectations for our program, so maybe not as good as we like,” Dancer said of his team’s play thus far. “But I’m really pleased with the overall spirit and the focus our guys have.”

Sophomore Farris Gosea was the sole Illini representative at the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., earlier this month. Gosea said the team has not been living up to its expectations so far.

“Team-wise, I feel like it’s been a bit below-par from what we were expecting,” Gosea said. “I feel like a lot of our guys can perform better and get better results. Obviously, we’ve got a young team, so I feel like we all need to grow up pretty fast.”

Associate head coach Marcos Asse said he is excited with the work ethic that the freshmen have been displaying. The upperclassmen have also taken notice of their effort, he added, which has given them confidence in their younger teammates.

Dancer said he is impressed with the amount of matches his guys have been getting in. He’s also been pleased with his doubles teams.

“Our intensity and energy in our doubles has been better this fall than it was last spring, or for that regard, over the past few years,” Dancer said.

“We’ve got to figure out how to solve problems and find solutions when we’re out on the court,” he added.

The Illini were not in competition last week, as they were preparing to head to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend for the USTA/ITA Midwest Regionals.

“I’m 100 percent confident that this group of guys can do things that may surprise a lot of people if they continue with the daily routines they’ve put into place,” Asse said.

Steven can be reached at [email protected].