Chambana Sun

Illinois is set to host the Fighting Illini Invite at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana from January 17-19. The event will feature teams from Illinois, Boise State, and Columbia, with singles and doubles play scheduled throughout the three days.

The competition kicks off on Friday morning with a doubles tournament at 10 a.m. CT, involving four doubles teams from each participating school. Illinois will face Boise State and Columbia in a hidden dual later that day at 5 p.m. CT.

Columbia, ranked No. 8 in the initial ITA team rankings for 2025, will participate in their first trip to Champaign-Urbana this week. Their team had an impressive record of 23-4 last year and reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Team Tournament. Michael Zheng of Columbia holds the top spot as Division I's leading player after winning the NCAA Singles Championship last November.

Boise State starts their spring season at Atkins after concluding last year with a record of 20-11. They secured a share of the Mountain West regular season title but were eliminated by Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Brad Dancer leads Illinois into this home opener following their participation in Arizona's Sun Devil Preseason Invite where they engaged with Arizona State and Texas A&M through matches and training sessions.

Matches continue on Saturday with Columbia's hidden dual at noon followed by additional singles competitions among all schools throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Rankings highlight several players including Michael Zheng as No.1 for singles, while Kenta Miyoshi (Illinois) ranks No.14 and William Mroz (Illinois) is placed at No.30 among others noted for both singles and doubles categories.

The invite promises an engaging start to Illinois' home tennis season amidst competitive action across these notable collegiate programs.