The No. 6 Illinois men’s tennis team returned home for the first time in a month and didn’t disappoint the large crowd supporting it. 

The Illini took down Big Ten opponent Purdue and Detroit Mercy, bumping them to 2-0 in conference play and 9-4 overall.

Illinois defeated Purdue 5-2, but the Boilermakers gave the Illini all they could handle, especially in doubles. Julian Childers and Blake Bazarnik started off doubles with a relatively easy 8-4 victory, but the Illini were pushed to the limit in the other two matches. At the No. 1 position, Illinois’  No. 4 Tim Kopinski and Ross Guignon fought to an 8-7 victory over the unranked tandem of Diego Acosta and Aaron Dujovne of Purdue. 

Head coach Brad Dancer said the group didn’t play nearly at their usual level.

“Ross and Tim were too casual in terms of the things they did, but I was proud,” he said. “They responded well down match point and they kept their composure as well.” 

After squeaking out the doubles point, the Illini rolled into their singles matches. Illinois was still without its top singles player Jared Hiltzik, who has now been out for three weeks with an injury in his right wrist. The lineup also hasn’t included Brian Page for the past few weeks, who wears a cast on left wrist. 

The Illini got wins from Farris Gosea, Kopinski, Bazarnik and Alex Jesse, giving Illinois wins in its top three positions and another from its fifth. Gosea, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, was the first to finish his match, winning by a score of 6-4, 6-0. 

“I’m staying composed in big points, so that’s really good for me, and I think to take it to the next level I really need to look to be more offensive,” Gosea said. 

Guignon had been the hottest player on the team for Illinois, winning six matches in a row; however, his streak ended against Purdue while Illinois’ best kept secret, Blake Bazarnik, earned two more wins and moved his season singles record to 8-2. 

In the Illini’s dominant 7-0 victory over Detroit Mercy following the Purdue match, Brian Page made an appearance in the lineup for the first time in weeks, despite his cast.

“(Playing with the cast) is way different, every shot is different even ones you wouldn’t think that are effected,” Paige said. 

Brett can be reached at [email protected] and @blerner10