Brad Dancer Head Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Brad Dancer Head Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
The No. 23-ranked Fighting Illini men's tennis team secured a narrow 4-3 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion. This win brings Illinois' record to 5-2, while Notre Dame's record now stands at 5-4.
Head coach Brad Dancer expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "I'm super excited to get a road win." He acknowledged the contributions of Karlis Ozolins and Kenta Miyoshi in setting the stage for success and praised Alex Petrov's resilience. However, he emphasized the need for improvement in understanding situational play, highlighting it as a focus for future matches.
Illinois began strong in doubles play with Mathis Debru and Kenta Miyoshi defeating Nil Giraldez and Brian Bilsey 6-2. The No. 3-ranked duo of Karlis Ozolins and Hunter Heck clinched the doubles point by overcoming Evan Lee and Chase Thompson with a score of 6-3.
In singles competition, Miyoshi extended Illinois' lead by winning against Thompson 6-3, 6-2. Ozolins continued his impressive form by defeating Giraldez 6-2, 7-5 at the No. 2 spot. Alex Petrov sealed the match for Illinois with a victory over Jameson Corsillo, finishing with scores of 6-4, 7-5.
The decision to play out all matches led to freshman Jeremy Zhang losing to Kyran Magimay in three sets: 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.
Looking ahead, Illinois will face Baylor on Friday, March 1 at Atkins Tennis Center.
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