Chambana Sun

No. 20 Illinois faced a setback in its final nonconference tennis match of the regular season, losing to No. 3 Ohio State 4-0 at Ty Tucker Tennis Center in Columbus on Wednesday night. The loss leaves Illinois with a record of 6-4 as they prepare for their Big Ten opener.

"Ohio State is a very talented team. They've got great players up and down the lineup. I give them a ton of credit," said Illinois head coach Brad Dancer following the match. He added, "We know there's a very good Nebraska team coming to town on Friday, so we have to shift our focus immediately to that match."

The Fighting Illini started strong in doubles play with Mathis Debru and Jeremy Zhang securing a win at No. 3 by defeating Ohio State's Bryce Nakashima and Jack Anthrop 6-4. However, Ohio State responded by winning the next two doubles matches at No. 1 and No. 2 positions, earning them the doubles point and an early lead.

In singles competition, Ohio State clinched victory with wins at the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 positions while three other matches were left unfinished in the third set.

Illinois will begin its Big Ten schedule with home matches against Nebraska on Friday and Wisconsin on Sunday at Atkins Tennis Center.