Chambana Sun

Illinois men's tennis team secured their first dual win of the season with a 4-2 victory over Auburn at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee. Despite losing the doubles point, Illinois rebounded with four singles victories to complete the comeback and level their record at 1-1.

Head coach Brad Dancer expressed gratitude towards the supporters, stating, "It's always awesome when we have supporters travel the country cheering us on. Huge thank you for the efforts to the Illini faithful who make our guys feel special." He acknowledged Auburn's strong performance in doubles but praised his team's resilience: "All six guys responded in singles. We have very few guys with dual-match experience, but that didn't show this weekend."

The Tigers initially took control by winning both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches and extending their lead with a victory at No. 3 singles. However, Illinois turned the match around starting with Tyler Bowers' straight-set win over Joey Phillips at No. 4 singles.

Kenta Miyoshi and William Mroz quickly followed suit on courts one and two respectively. Miyoshi tied up the match with a victory over Will Nolan while Mroz defeated Billy Blaydes to give Illinois its first lead.

Zach Viiala clinched the match for Illinois with his first collegiate career-clinching win against Hamza Nasridinov at No. 5 singles.

Looking ahead, Illinois will face off against Duke and North Carolina next weekend as part of a two-match road trip.