Chambana Sun

Illinois men's tennis team faced a challenging match against the No. 5 ranked Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, ultimately falling short with a score of 4-3 at Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, Kentucky. This defeat concluded Illinois' season with a record of 17 wins and 10 losses.

Head coach Brad Dancer expressed his thoughts on the match, stating, "What an awesome heavyweight match. It felt like we had them down for the count on so many occasions and, just as Kentucky has done all year, they just kept fighting. Huge credit to them. We had opportunities that we didn't capitalize on and that was the difference. We put ourselves in position all year long but just never seemed to get over the final hurdle. I'm proud to coach this team today; they represented our school and team with immense fighting spirit."

The Illini began strongly by securing the doubles point. Mathis Debru and Kenta Miyoshi set the pace with a 6-2 victory over Eli Stephenson and Jaden Weekes. The No. 12-ranked duo Hunter Heck and Karlis Ozolins clinched the doubles point by defeating No. 4-ranked Joshua Lapadat and JJ Mercer, also by a score of 6-2.

In singles play, after an initial loss by Ozolins, Miyoshi claimed victory against Weekes with scores of 6-1, 6-4. Lucas Horve's defeat allowed Kentucky to tie at 2-2 before Alex Petrov regained Illinois' lead with a win over Charlelie Cosnet (6-3, 6-4).

However, subsequent losses from Heck to Lapadat (7-6(5), 6-2) and Okonkwo to Jack Loutit (1-6, 6-2, 6-4) led to Kentucky's overall victory.

Looking ahead, Heck and Ozolins are set to participate in both singles and doubles events at the upcoming NCAA Tournament starting May 20 at Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma.