Illinois men’s tennis player Sasha Colleu has been named the Big Ten Men’s Tennis Freshman of the Week after his performance in the team’s season opener on January 16. The announcement was made by the conference office on Wednesday.
Colleu, who is from Miami, achieved this recognition following his dual debut against No. 7 Mississippi State at Atkins Tennis Center. He partnered with fellow freshman Gabriel Debru to win their doubles match 6-0 against Niccolo Baroni and Mario Martinez Serrano, contributing to Illinois securing the doubles point.
In singles play, Colleu defeated Bryan Hernandez Cortes, who is ranked No. 34 nationally. He broke serve twice in the first three games and won in straight sets, finishing with a score of 6-3, 6-0.
This is Colleu’s first time receiving Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors. He is also the second Illinois freshman to earn this award during the current season; Adam Jilly previously received it on September 17.
Looking ahead, Colleu and his teammates will participate in ITA Kickoff Weekend from January 23-24 in New York City. The team, currently ranked No. 25, will face No. 13 Columbia in their opening match before playing either Florida or No. 23 Kentucky.
